The Black of Night
by Gadien Elf
Summary: AU Sydney leaves her violent husband, taking her boys and escaping into the night. Falling on her parents and their trusty lawyers, the Vaughn's, will they be able to help her get over three years of domestic violence?
1. Chapter 1: Another Ditch in the Road

**The Black of Night**

Disclaimer: I own nothing Alias related. I only claim to own the plot.

Summary: Completely AU. I'm usually a stickler for the rules, but there really wasn't a way I could make this story work without taking out the spy elements. Based off of a song that was on a CD my pal BlueBird gave me. Started a long while ago (before even reading Seasons Greetings by Cookiemonster – though I'm now seeing some similarities. Don't hit me Cookie)!

Ships: Eventually S/V, but it'll probably be a little while to get that ball rollin'.

Rating: Sever angst and violence ahead. Rated R

I'm not too much of a secular music buff – don't know much about it or the bands out there, but she's learnin' me. Soundtracks and Christian music all the way for me. But I'm getting used to it, and a lot of it is really good music.

The song: Two Beds and a Coffee Machine by Savage Garden.

**Personal A/N:** A lot of things that are going to be addressed in this fic are based on real situations. There is a lot of domestic violence. I lived through it as a kid and well into my early teens, and this song hit particularly close to my heart so please be gentle with your reviews and comments. Almost everything that happens in this story happened to my mother and me many years ago. **If you have an issue with this fic, I kindly ask you to refrain from reading it.**

Just so it gets said, there is absolutely **no **sexual violence in this fic.

* * *

Chapter 1: Another Ditch in the Road

The dark highway stretched out for miles in front of us as various signs flew by at breakneck speed. I chanced a brief glance into the backseat where little Noah sat with his hand stretched out toward his older brother. Jake may have a clue as to what's going on; for a five and a half year old he's remarkably astute. He also lived with the violence and verbal abuse for a lot longer than his little two-year-old brother. But my sweet Noah is naive.

_'It hadn't always been this way,'_ I tell myself trying desperately to find solace in those words. It was, in part, true. In the beginning Rick had been so sweet and kind, drawing me to him with gentle yet piercing blue eyes and a calm spirit. The rage only began after he lost his job and couldn't find work.

Along with that came the drinking, and along with the drinking came the arguments. I kept telling myself I could handle it; that no matter what, I'd be fine. He never showed any signs of violence, just – verbal abuse. Which I know, don't say it. I took psychology in high school and college.

"Verbal abuse is most often worse than being struck," I remember my teacher explaining.

Yeah…right. Chances are, people who say that have never been struck. Not by someone you love. Loved – past tense…in my case anyway.

But I finally listened to my friends and coworkers. I finally got up enough courage to leave. Well…I wouldn't exactly call it courage; I left when he fell into an alcohol induced sleep. But I figured that if he enjoyed hitting me over something as small as a toy left in the middle of the floor, then image what he'd do if I'd told him I was leaving? Just taking the boys and going?

I look back into the mirror and see Noah's zonked out and Jake's bright questioning eyes looking over at me. He had his own little bruises from where his father had grabbed him and threw him into time-out – not to mention the stripe of red across his cheek as a result of a slap with a belt. Finger shaped spots dotted his little arm, and I have to wonder if waiting all this time to leave has had any damaging or lasting imprints on my kiddos.

I pray that anything that's happened in the initial two years of Noah's life isn't his first memory. Shifting my eyes back to the road, another mile goes by as the bright lights of the city finally disappear behind us.

"Mommy?" Jake's quiet voice broke the silence of the car, and I look into the rear-view mirror once more.

"Yes, honey?"

"Is daddy gonna get us?" his worried voice breaks my heart. No child should ever fear a parent.

"I don't think so, sweetheart. We're going to see grandma and papa."

I thought I saw the faint hint of a smile on his face as he turned to look back out the window.

There wasn't too much to be said other than that. I longed to apologize to him for everything I'd put him through, but he just wouldn't understand. I can help but think that our escape as apology; as a hopeful gift to my little boys for a brighter future. I can't help but try anything to keep my mind off of the last damn twenty four hours.

"_Hey, Becky, how were they?" Sydney put the smile onto her face after reapplying her cover-up in the car and walked into the in-house daycare that Jake and Noah frequented._

_She and Becky had gone to school together and had been long-time friends, so when she found out that they lived close to one another – and that she managed a daycare center from her home – she'd asked about prices. Becky, true to her word, said not to worry about it._

"_Hey, what are you doing here?" they blonde asked as she lifted up a whimpering toddler and setting it to her hip as another clung to her opposite side._

"_Ummm, it's Thursday, remember? I dropped my kids off this morning and I'm here to take them home? I mean, if you wanna keep 'em that's fine with me," Sydney grinned until she saw the confusion in her friend's eyes._

"_Rick picked 'em up about two hours ago. He said his interview was cancelled and so he'd dropped by so you wouldn't have to. What's up? Didn't he call you?" she asked, seeing Syd's eyes go wide._

"_No, it's fine. He…he didn't call me. I'll see you tomorrow, okay Becks?"_

_Without waiting for a reply, she bolted to the car and quickly backed out the driveway. Stopping abruptly in front of the medium sized townhouse, she ignored the mailbox brimming with bills and went to the front door. Finding it locked, she cursed and fished for her house keys in her messy purse. Rick had never once struck one of the children, but his constant shouting and belittling had reduced them each to tears on more than one occasion. She was satisfied to take the brunt of his occasional slaps if it meant he didn't harm Jake or Noah._

_Finally locating them and tossing the door open, an eerily quiet house awaited her._

"_Hello?" she called tentatively, knowing that if Rick were sleeping she'd face hell by waking him up. She noticed little Noah sitting at the table quietly, a single car being pushed in front of him._

"_Momma," he waved over at her in a quiet voice._

"_Where's daddy?" she asked after setting her things down on the end table next to the couch. He pointed up, signifying that his father was indeed sleeping instead of watching the kids._

"_Where's Jake?"_

_He pointed over to the stairs that lead to the basement, and she quickly rushed over to open the door. Thankfully, the light from the sliding glass doors below provided his dark corner with some brightness, but she turned on the overhead bulb anyway._

_He flinched, looking back down at his feet, not daring to let his eyes wander up._

"_Honey? You okay?" Sydney asked, taking the stairs two at a time to rescue the little boy from a probably unneeded time-out session._

_He turned to look up at her and her heart stopped at the long welt across his cheek. It started underneath his left eye and stretched down next to his chin, and instantly her heart broke for her baby._

"_Jaky, I need you to tell me what happened," she calmly stroked his hair as he threw himself into her arms._

"_I was playing ball with Noah, and it rollded into daddy's worky room. I went to get it an he yellded at me lots," he sobbed, his hand holding his cheek._

"_What happened to your face, baby?" she pulled him back, turning his head to the side with gentle hands and examining the raised abrasion more closely._

"_He tooked off his pants holder,"_

"_His pants holder?" confusion filled her voice as she racked her brain to try and understand his simple logic._

_He merely nodded and pointed to the floor where Rick's belt sat tauntingly._

_That's what he'd been looking at this whole time; that's what his father told him to stare at. A rage she'd never felt before rose up and she instantly stood, taking him with her. Stalking into the kitchen, Noah looking up as she set Will on the bench that served as the chairs for one half of the table, she spoke in a stern voice. "Take your brother outside and play with Sammy please." Jake jumped to put his sibling's shoes on as the toddler poked the welt on the side of Will's cheek._

"_Owie?"_

"_Don't touch it," the little boy growled, pulling away and helping Noah up before they left through the front door. She made sure their next door neighbor's eight year old had invited them over before taking the stairs two at a time until she reached the bedroom._

_Fear lodged into her throat, but it was quickly pushed aside as anger filled her once more. Grabbing the knob and throwing the door open, it crashed into the wall and jarred the sleeping man from his slumber._

"_Don't you ever touch them again," she snarled, her face red with rage, the vein in her forehead becoming more pronounced as she pointed her finger threateningly at him._

"_Excuse me?" his voice was low and menacing as he stood from the bed and slowly walked toward his "disobedient" wife._

"_I don't care what you say to me, or…or if you hit me, but those boys are innocent! If I hear of you hitting them again, either of them, you will find yourself behind bars so quick it'll blow your mind." She was running on pure adrenalin – and shock – and she was thankful that with the endorphins coursing through her body she barely felt his hand as it connected with her cheek._

"_You want me to hit you? Fine," another well placed smack with the back of his hand split her lip and quickly knocked her to the floor. "You think about that. I'm goin' to get a drink," he spat and walked from the room._

_She heard his echoing footsteps, then finally the sound of his keys rattling as he left the house quickly._

Sydney shuddered as her eyes landed on the large bruise peeking out from underneath her cover-up. Driving through the night until she reached the airport in Vegas, she unloaded the toddler as Jake unbuckled himself and climbed over the console to her open door.

"Baby, don't go into the street – wait for mommy."

"I will, momma." True to his word, the little boy waited patiently for his mother.

Managing a still sleeping two-year old against her shoulder as well as grabbing their one large suitcase, she stuck out her pinky to her eldest.

The pitch black of the night was offset by the bustling lights of the bright city, a man standing and waiting for her at the entrance to her terminal.

"Are you Jack Bristow's daughter?" He immediately grabbed the heavy carry-case without waiting for an answer, noticing the way the little boy his behind his mother.

"Assuming you know my father's name and who to ask for, you're Michael Vaughn?"

"Yes, I am."

"My father didn't need to drag you out of bed and across the country to pick me up,"

The green-eyed man chuckled, setting her mind at ease. "No, ma'am, it was no problem at all. My father and I are more than willing to help you with your case, so it was my pleasure."

She nodded her head in thanks, though the bags underneath her eyes showed her fatigue. He took a moment to search her eyes and quickly noticed a profound sadness permeating through her gaze.

Silently walking her and the children to the private plane, he stored their items and gave the go-ahead to the pilot.

The silence was nearly palpable, only the soft words flowing from Sydney's mouth as she tucked Noah into one of the couches; a scratchy blue blanket covering his little body as an over-fluffed pillow propped up his upper body.

"Do you like to color?" Michael's voice pulled her focus to the other side of the plane where Jake was watching the plane taxi out of Las Vegas.

The timid little boy nodded, looking over at Sydney for permission, to which she agreed quickly. Vaughn smiled, pulling out a small coloring book from his carry-on and a handful of colorful crayons. Setting them on the table, he patiently waited for the little boy to approach him. He'd been entrusted with the safety of his father's biggest client, and he was going to make sure that Sydney and her son's trusted him – to some extent.

Jake approached the man slowly, glancing over and waiting for Sydney to oppose at any minute.

"Why don't you sit up here and buckle up that seatbelt, big guy. You wouldn't want to slide around while we're takin' off, would you?"

A shy negative shake of the head was his answer as he climbed up onto the bench and picked up two buckles. Unfortunately, they weren't compatible with one another and wouldn't click.

"Here, let me help." Michael reached out automatically, the child flinching back against his seat. Never in his life had he scared a kid, and though he knew it wasn't actually because of him, the fear in the boys blue eyes made him pull back quickly.

"Or…let's have your mommy do it; I'm sorry, big guy."

Sydney flashed him a small smile, moving across the fuselage and kneeling down in front of the five-year old. "Hey, little roo, it's okay. This is Mr. Vaughn, and he's taking us to grandma and papa. He didn't mean to scare you."

"Do you like him?"

"I trust your papa to send a good guy," she countered, not bringing up the fact that she wasn't a completely trusting woman at the moment.

"Okay. Can I still color?" his voice was quiet, looking between the man and his mother.

"Of course you can. In a little bit I'm gonna put you in pajamas and want you to get some sleep, okay?"

Jake nodded, Sydney pressing a kiss to his forehead.

"Look…why don't you get some rest? He'll color for a bit, I've got a good book, and…you look like you need it."

"Can I speak with you...alone for a moment?" Her voice was almost commanding, but the fact that she wasn't able to look him straight in the eye made her still somewhat insecure about ordering Vaughn around.

Michael nodded and rose, sending the attentive Jake a reassuring wink before following the frazzled and used young woman to the back of the plane. "I...I didn't mean to spook him, I really didn't-"

"Stop. It had nothing to do with you at all, it's...it's his father. He wasn't a good guy. I have nothing against you Mr. Vaughn, you seem nice and all, but my family isn't exactly trusting at the moment. I don't mean to be rude or...forthrightly female, but there's no way I'm going to take my eyes off of my boys. Please understand that."

Leaving him in his shocked position at the rear of the plane, she moved back up to sit nervously on the edge of the cough where baby Noah was sleeping. Silently chewing on her thumb nail, she watched Jake color.

Michael retook his seat, in awe of the woman across the fuselage as he lifted his book, pretending to read.

* * *

A/N: Okay so...helluva first chapter, eh? Anywho, the last thing I needed was to start a new fic, but that song really put me in a writing mood. It's a great song if you all are interested in listening to it! The lyrics will be coming up in future chapters...promise. Again...think before you flame. I did warn you in my A/N above that if you have a problem with this fic...please refrain from letting me know that you have a problem with this fic. Just stop reading it.

Love you all!

-Jean


	2. Chapter 2: Reckoning

Chapter 2: Reckoning

* * *

Sydney sighed, trying to erect a wall around her emotions as Vaughn rang the doorbell to her father's large estate. Though it was night and the only light permeating the darkness was that of the lamp in the living room, she could almost see by memory the beautiful rolling landscape surrounding the property.

The door flung open and the internal light spilling onto the porch forced her attention back up and into the hooded eyes of her father.

"Granpa!" Noah shrieked, struggling his way out of Sydney's arms and attacking the elder man's leg - Jake doing the same on the other.

Jack Bristow gave them each a rich smile, passing one to his daughter before shaking Vaughn's hand and thanking him in a low voice. Michael tossed a nod in her direction before disappearing into the blackness of the driveway, the revving of an engine the only sound from his departure.

"Come in...your mother is waiting for you in the kitchen."

"But the boys need-"

"Yes...they need to get to bed. I'll take care of it." Cupping her cheek and brushing a kiss to her forehead, "I'm glad you're okay. We're going to take care of everything."

Working as hard as she could to keep up the walls she'd constructed on the front porch, though she was bound and sure that they would crumble the first moment her mother laid eyes on her. She blinked back the tears, watching Jack lift both of the children into his arms and carry them up the large staircase as she made her way toward the lit dining area.

Walking into the kitchen, she spotted her mother making tea at the stove while slicing up some sandwiches.

"Mom?" Sydney's voice was broken, and when Laura turned with tear streaks down her own cheeks, her daughter broke completely.

Rushing around the kitchen's island, mother enveloped daughter in a fit of sobbing, Laura pulling back to study the bluish purple abrasions marring Sydney's skin.

"We told you to leave him, Sydney!"

"I know," she sobbed.

"Why did you wait until now?" Her grasp of the young woman's cheeks was getting stronger, the maternal Bristow nearly shaking her with each word.

Unable to answer, Sydney merely fell into her mother's embrace and cried out her sadness, anger, and disappointment into her shoulder. A tiny voice from the kitchen's entryway made them break apart slowly, Sydney quickly wiping at her cheeks as she spotted her two year old. He looked even smaller with the blue footie pajamas on, his huge, soul-searching blue eyes staring her down.

"Need hugs momma?"

Jack appeared behind him, hefting him up gently with a bit of tickling to his ribs.

"The boys wanted you to tuck them in, if you can."

Not trusting her voice, Sydney moved from the kitchen and traded spots with her father, Noah pushing his face into her neck and sticking his thumb into his mouth.

"As painful as it is for me to see her like that…I'm glad it finally got to be too much for her." Jack stated as he and his wife watched with until son and daughter disappeared up the steps.

Laura turned to peer up at her husband, brimming tears beginning tumbling. "Please tell me that you and Bill are going to take care of Rick? Please? He deserves to rot for what he's done to our little girl."

Jack's answer was silence as he steered his wife to the kitchen table. The teapot whistled its frustration as the water inside boiled, steam erupting from the spout as Laura pushed herself up to prepare the small, late dinner as they waited for Sydney to return.

* * *

"Momma?"

"Yes, Noah?"

"Daddy too?"

"No, baby; daddy…daddy isn't coming to grandma's and papa's. We're probably not going to see daddy for a long time."

"Him's grumpy."

Sydney merely nodded, Jake watching her from his own small bed across the room. "I'm sorry my boys, I am so sorry that daddy wasn't nice to you. But you won't have to worry about him okay? Mommy, grandma and papa are going to take care of him."

"Mommy, when can we go home?" Jake's simple question was probably the hardest she'd ever been asked.

"I don't – umm…I don't think we'll be able to go back home, sweetie."

"Can we get a new house?" He followed through, Sydney slightly relieved that he took the prospect of never seeing his things again so well.

"With a puppy?!" Noah sat up quickly, a large beaming smile on his face as Sydney laughed.

Jake saw the tension slowly begin to fade away from his mother's demeanor as she laughed along with his little brother.

"We'll talk about it. It's bedtime you two, we've had - a long week." Placing a kiss to each of their foreheads, lingering on her eldest son to check the long bruise the welt had turned into on his face. "Does it hurt really bad sweetie?"

"A little bit,"

"I'll get you something for it, I'm sure papa has something that will help. I'll be right back,"

He nodded and snuggled down into his pillow, Sydney checking one more time on a now slumbering Noah before flipping on the nightlight and leaving the room. She walked slowly down the wide hallway, pictures lining each side of all major family events. As an only child, most of them were of her accomplishments, but there were some that recounted her parents life, as well as her grandparents – before they had died.

One of her mom and dad standing in the foreground while a gorgeous piece of land lay stretched behind them. The picture directly below it shows them in the same exact position on the same spot with the large family home finally constructed behind them in a before and after glimpse.

There was a large one of her father sitting at his desk inside his Practice, the white lab coat and name tag each saying Dr. Jonathan D. Bristow.

There was every school picture of her from her kindergarten graduation up through college graduation in a long line as well as in order of events on the opposite wall, Sydney smiling at the changes in herself through time as she continued to take the trip down memory lane while moving farther down the hallway.

Stopping at one of her favorites, she picked it up and gently cradled it in one hand, the other tracing the radiant faces of her parents on their wedding day. Flicking her gaze over to the immediate right, the nostalgic smile quickly disappeared. Gently hanging the beloved wedding photo back onto its designated hook, she fingered the ornate wood framing the photo of her own wedding day.

She stood in Rick's arms, the flowing white dress her mother had made wafting around her legs. Her hair was styled atop her head with beautiful curls escaping from the bun on both sides, a large bouquet of tulips and sunflowers topping off the beautiful outdoor scene.

Rick looked strong and handsome in his black tuxedo, his eyes shining with a love and devotion she hadn't seen for over two years. Her own face held an abounding glow of care and tenderness as she leaned into his shoulder, their wedding bands shining in the light. Suddenly, the weight of the gold around her finger felt heavy and weighted, as if the brunt of her marriage was pressing not on her shoulders but on her left hand.

Her vision clouded…words of anger, hate, and betrayal beginning to filter into her happiest of thoughts. As she stared into the photograph, it seemed to taunt her with the blissful surroundings, the bright sun shining down on them in her parent's large garden. Everything began to get darker…even Rick himself began to change.

A muffled sob tore from her throat as she lifted the picture gingerly off its nail, the deep, decorated wood and polished glass heavy in her hands.

_'This picture is fake…it…it hasn't been like that since that day,'_ she thought, her hands closing tight around the edges until her knuckles turned white. _'All of it was a lie.'_

Turning suddenly, she hurled the memory against the far wall, the glass shattering noisily as she sunk to the floor of the hallway atop the ornate rug.

The tinkling sound of breaking glass made Jack and Laura run to the staircase, the sound of their daughter's wrenching cries making them take the two flights of stairs two at a time.

Dropping on his knees before his broken daughter, Jack engulfed her into his arms as she willingly cried into his chest. Their eyes scanned the hallway, seeing the discarded photograph lying amidst the sparkling clear rubble as the bedroom door to the left opened. Two frightened sets of eyes peeked out into the brightly lit hall, Jake holding onto Noah's hand as Laura quickly ushered them back into their room and closed the door behind her.

"What happened to mommy?" Jake asked, fighting against his grandmother's attempts at putting him back to bed.

"Your mommy was looking at a picture and she dropped it, it's no reason for you to be out of bed. Hop back in," her voice was soft yet commanding, and little Noah tugged on her pant leg to claim her attention.

"Me too?" he asked, pointing to the fluffy bed his older brother was climbing into.

The grandmother smiled and nodded, picking up and coddling the tiny boy before settling him in with his brother. "You boys go to sleep, okay? Your mommy will take good, good care of you."

"Who will take care of mommy?" Jake queried, curious about who would be looking out for his mother without his own daddy around.

"I will."

"Papa too?"

"Of course. Now…sleep time, darlings." She sat on the edge of the bed with them both, waiting and watching for them to fall back to sleep.

In the hallway, Sydney's crying had lessened and she'd more or less gone limp in her father's arms. He had tipped back onto his heels, pulling her with him until she'd nearly crawled up onto his lap, her arms wrapped around his shoulders.

"I…I can't presume to tell you that you waited too long, or long enough, to leave him Sydney…or that it'll get easier now that you are no longer in that environment. It won't be easy – on your or on the children, but that's what your mother and I are here for." Pulling her back and cupping her swollen and red cheeks in his large, callused hands, he couldn't help but notice again the bruises marring her pale face. "Why don't you just get to bed, and we'll deal with everything tomorrow? I'm going to give you something to help you sleep soundly, because you're far too much like me in the respect that I know you'll stew all night over this." He tossed out a brief smile, his eyes still holding ample amounts of sympathy for his little girl.

"Daddy…I don't know what to do."

"I said we'll figure it out tomorrow. Come on," he ordered, his voice demanding her cooperation as he stood, pulling her with him. Securing an arm around her shoulders, they awkwardly walked down the steps and back into the kitchen, her mother's sandwiches and tea long forgotten in the disruption upstairs.

Sydney took a seat, lifting her paper napkin and wiping at the wetness of her cheeks before regarding her father with doe-like brown eyes. "Why does it hurt so much, dad? He…he doesn't really love me…and I don't have – have any desire to be with him af – after what he did to us," she paused, wiping her nose and blowing lightly into the napkin, "but why can't my anger and hate make the pain go away?"

For once, Dr. Jack Bristow was at a loss. He'd taken dozens of classes in Psychological Counseling; faced patients that had been in his daughter's situation; encountered the same questions from people that had been traumatically emotionally hurt – but he had no answer for the broken woman before him. Nothing was coming to mind.

"I…I think love is the emotion that bears the most understanding…but yet – we don't understand how comprehensive it is. Unconditional love I suppose can blind you from seeing who and what a person truly is or isn't."

"I'm not one of your patients dad, you don't have to be so scientific. It…it was more rhetorical than anything," she mustered up a small smile, wiping at the fresh tears on her cheeks as Jack let out a relieved chuckle.

Leaning across the table and pressing a kiss into her forehead, he left her alone in search of a sleeping aide. Sydney looked down at her wrist, her watch showing 11:47PM. She jumped as her back pocket vibrated, her cell phone chirping loudly in the silent kitchen.

Pulling it out of her pocket and looking at the screen, her heart plummeted into her stomach as her mother walked in. Seeing the sudden pallor of her daughter's face, "Sweetie, are you okay? What is it?"

Sydney's phone continued to ring, her thumb hovering over the keypad.

"It's, Rick."

* * *

A/N: Let me know what you think…I'm still a bit nervous about this story.

-Jeanie


	3. Chapter 3: Only If

**Chapter 3: Only If…**

* * *

"It's Rick," she said quietly, Jack walking back into the room with a bottle in his hand, his ears catching her sentence.

"Don't answer it."

"Dad, he at least deserves to know what my decision is,"

Ring Ring

"You don't owe him a _thing _Sydney Anne." Laura groused, both parents standing around her with bated breath as she answered the call.

"Hello?"

"Where the hell are you? I've been waiting for hours!" His voice was elevated, as she knew it would be, and she ran a hand through her already disheveled hair in attempts to quell her rising emotions.

Swallowing, "I'm not coming home."

"What the hell does that mean?"

"No, Rick." her voice began to waver, tears flooding her vision. "I…I want a divorce."

"What? No… Sydney – I know things have been rough lately, but it'll get better! I got that job…it'll be less crazy now." The change in his voice - sadness mixing with anger and disbelief - made her wince against how instantly pitiful it became

"No, Rick. You – hit me…and the boys. I'll never be able to forgive you for that."

"I can change-"

She interrupted him, anger seeping into her voice. "You did change. I'll have the papers sent to you by the end of the week."

Sydney hung up as her voice began to break. Managing to drop her cell to the kitchen counter next to her elbows, she slumped over and rested her face in her hands to muffle a small sob as Laura moved forward to envelop her into her arms.

"I…I just wish I would stop crying for him." Though it took a great amount of deciphering on her parents part to understand what her strained and watery words had been, her father shook his head.

"No, Sydney , you're not crying for him – or over him. You're crying for yourself, sweetheart; which is a good start. Now…take these pills and get to bed, it's been much too long of a day." Jack placed two, little blue pills in front of her, leaving only to fill a glass of water.

Laura stroked her daughter's hair while sending her husband a curious glance, Sydney drinking down the pills and offering them both a delicate goodnight as well as a hug and a kiss. Disappearing around the corner and up the stairs, Laura finally turned sly eyes up to jack.

"What did you give her?"

"Let's just say that she'll have no problems getting to sleep tonight."

"Jack! You sedated your own daughter!" The laughter in Laura's voice was exactly what her husband needed to hear, and he chuckled along with her.

"She'll be out most of tomorrow as well, so we should get some sleep. We're babysitting in the morning."

After turning the lights out and making sure everything was locked and secure, the couple made their way upstairs for the night.

* * *

Sydney woke in a groggy haze, looking out through the window to see an absence of sunlight in the starry sky beyond the backyard.

'Figures that when I finally _can _sleep...I don't,' she thought with a tired mental chuckle.

Gathering herself up out of the bed, her legs feeling unusually heavy and waterlogged, she peeked out into the hallway. Silence greeted her along with a dim hall light, and she couldn't help but look to the floor and note the lack of broken glass. The hallway now sported one less photograph and Sydney was mentally and physically thankful that she had her parents to fall back on.

Making her way slowly down the steps, faint voices wafted through the large living room. Peeking at her wrist, she realized that she'd left her watch on the night stand at home. 'Another thing I'll need to buy brand new.'

Straightening her rumbled pajama bottoms and maroon camisole, she made her way with a yawn over to her father's office, the slightly opened doorway sending a sliver of orange-yellow light onto the dark, cold wooden floor at her feet.

"I know Bill, but this isn't just another case that I'm referring to you - this is my daughter and I've got to have the proper papers here by tomorrow morning. [Pause Yes...I realize how much work that's going to take - but I'm more than willing to help you and Michael get everything typed up. [Pause No...I don't want Sydney involved yet. She's got enough on her mind right now without sitting in a room with us old men recounting some of the most painful memories of her life. [Pause Okay then, tomorrow."

Feeling slightly ashamed at eavesdropping on a partial conversation about herself, she knocked quietly on the door of the study before walking in and her father sitting amidst dozens of books with pens and paper filling nearly every available surface.

"Ah, Sydney , come in." Starting the conversation, he sat back in his plush chair taking his glasses off as his fingers rubbed at his sore, strained eyes.

Flashing a dimpled smile she made her way farther into the library-esque office, climbing into the seat across from the desk with a sigh. Pulling her knees up to her chest, Jack regarded her with caring yet concerned eyes.

"I…I didn't scare the boys too badly, did I?"

"Oh they were just fine. Your mother took care of them. We put them to be a half hour ago since we weren't quite sure what time you usually do it."

He smiled gently at the confusion in her brown eyes, "Wait, what? What time is it?"

"A quarter 'till nine. You've slept for nearly eighteen hours, Sydney , I was beginning to wonder if you were planning on sleeping for the rest of the month."

"Wow…"

Pausing with bright eyes, she placed her hand against her forehead before smoothing her hair back. "So I take it the pills you gave me weren't Tylenol PM®?"

Jack laughed, pleased to see his daughter in higher spirits than the night before. They lapsed into a period of comfortable silence, Sydney 's eyes glazing over with a far away look as Jack watched her, a slideshow of moments in her life flashing behind his hooded gaze.

"Thanks, dad," she whispered, tears building at the corners of her eyes as she feigned interest in a string on the leg of her pants. "For everything, I mean. For…for taking care of the boys today," pausing with a sniffle, she wiped at her nose before continuing, "and for taking care of me last night. I just…I'm _so _confused about _so _ many things – I don't know what to do. I mean…two days ago my life was hell but I was in such a great position outside the house. I had a job I really liked; Jake had a school with friends, and now it's all – topsy-turvy. I just don't know what to make of it. Where's Jake gonna go to school now? He has to finish out this semester or he'll be held back a grade – and he's too smart for that; didn't do anything to deserve that," another pause as she gladly accepted the tissue box Jack slid her direction.

"Not to mention what I'm going to do about supporting them. I don't have a job, dad, and I'm sure that they can find a permanent substitute for the year, but all of my kids – God…it was such a great school!"

Her father inwardly smiled, quickly noting that his little girl was fast moving on to the venting stage of her newest changes in life; the stage where the questions outnumber the answers.

"We'll figure it out sweetheart. I took the liberty of calling the school early this morning and informing them of your situation – though omitting several of the details – and your principal was extremely understanding. She sounded very sorry to hear that you were leaving them, and passed on her condolences to you and the kids. She wanted me to tell you that Gary Robinson was going to break your class up into two groups and have them inserted into his alternating periods."

Nodding in understanding, Sydney was silent once more as she gnawed at her lip, an ever-flowing tide of tears unceasing in their journey down her swollen cheeks.

"What are you thinking?" Prodding, though he knew that Bristow women were immune to nagging, prodding, and goading, he waited patiently for her to gather her thoughts.

She began, resting her chin atop her knee as she hugged her legs close, "I just wish that everything could be erased. Every wrong decision I'd ever made; every bad thought I ever had while sitting in Sunday School in the church down the street when I was a kid – all of it."

"That wouldn't change the outcome of anything, Sydney . Rick wasn't a bad decision made by your hands – he made the choice to become that person, with or without your permission-"

"I know, I know, but I can't help but think that if I'd never let him do it; if I'd never let him raise his hand in anger that I'd have my life from before. I pray…and pray that something g-good can come of this…but I can't honestly believe that…that a single good thing can ever happen to me again. I – I just feel …broken."

Jack nodded, wheeling his chair over to where his daughter sat crying into her lap. Setting a hand to hers, her fingers instantly wrapping around his, he let her sob her fill until it was quiet in the room once more.

"Let me tell you a story. This used to work on you when you were little…so I'm hoping against hope that it'll work now. 'A doe, blind in one eye, was used to grazing as near to the edge of a sea cliff as she possibly could, in the hope of securing her greater safety. She turned her one working eye towards the land that she might get the earliest tidings of the approach of hunter or hound, and her injured eye towards the sea, where she anticipated no danger. Some boatmen sailing by saw her, and taking a successful aim, mortally wounded her. Yielding up her last breath, she gasped forth this lament: "O wretched creature that I am! To take such precaution against the land only to find this seashore, to which I had come for safety, so much more perilous.'"

The soothing voice in which he'd retold the old Fable was indeed relaxing, though the message he pronounced was the underlying current that had snagged her feet like the riptide of the ocean. "So…what are you saying? I was blind in both eyes?"

"I'm saying that it was impossible to steel yourself away from something you couldn't see coming. That was the doe's problem – she'd viewed the world away from her a dangerous place; thus, she tried to protect herself from it but staying as far away from it as she could. Sometimes…your safest place can be where you find the most danger. Sometimes…you need to find a new safe place. It's no one's fault, and certainly not your own. What's done is done, only now – you're no longer blind…you can almost see too well."

Knowing inside that her father was right, a surprising sense of calm washed over her – her tears ending. Jack gave her hand one last squeeze and rolled back to his desk, sliding his glasses on as her gentle voice wafted over to him. "Sorry, sweetheart, I didn't hear you."

"I said…I feel safe here."

"This…will always be a safe place for you and the boys. Always."

"So…what are we going to do now?" Diverting the subject, she offered up the largest question in her arsenal.

Jack removed his glasses once more, looking off at the far wall deep in thought. "Honestly…I'm waiting and expecting Rick here at the house. Not that I believe he'll be a danger against you or the boys – quite the opposite actually. His way of getting power over his crumbling life was physically seeking to control you and the children by resorting to violence. Believe it or not, Sydney , but the control is fully in your hands now and he knows this. If indeed he does show up, I doubt his first act will be one of aggression."

"That'll be the pot calling the kettle black. However, I get what you're saying. So…what are we gonna do?"

"I'll handle everything, if and when that occurs. I don't want you dealing with him at all. Tomorrow morning I've got Bill – my lawyer – and his son Michael coming in to finish up the paperwork on the divorce papers. You remember Michael, right? He escorted you on the plane over."

Her nod was her only answer. "Good. We'll take care of everything, and when it comes time for you to sign the papers and read over them, I'll let you know. Other than that, take the boys out. Let them just get back into the swing of doing something normal. You need it yourself."

"What if Rick doesn't come here? What if he comes looking somewhere else?" The worry was evident in her voice and Jack sent her a reassuring smile.

"Then I can send Michael out with you and the kids while Bill and I figure out the paperwork."

Sydney sighed, shaking her head, "Can't you send mom? He's got better things to do with his time than babysit a battered wife and two kids."

"Sydney , he said he'd be more than happy to help with any area I could think of, and – quite frankly – I'd like to know that you are safe while you're out as well. Think of it as royal treatment and your own bodyguard."

She huffed but complied, her stomach growling as a knock echoed through the quiet room. Laura poked her head in, surprised to see Sydney up as she walked in with a single sandwich on a tray, a glass of milk sloshing back and forth without spilling as she walked. "I didn't know you were awake, sweetie. How are you feeling?"

"Better; thanks mom." Sydney suddenly felt like she was six years old again with a cold.

"I can make you something if you'd like,"

"That'd be great, I'm starving. I'll come with you." Slowing climbing out of her cocooned position in the plush chair, she turned to her dad with a thankful smile. "Thanks, dad. You and mom are the only way I'm going to get through this alive."

"You don't give yourself enough credit. Go…have some dinner."

Sydney leaned over and placed a kiss to the top of his head before walking slowly out of the room, hearing her mother clambering around in the kitchen. Entering the bright room, she squinted from the change of firelight to light-bulb in an effort to adjust.

"Here you go, honey, heat up what you'd like. It's pot roast left over from dinner, with mashed potatoes, carrots and corn."

Maneuvering into the kitchen, she dished up a plate full of food, popped it into the microwave and covered it before hitting the button for two minutes. Grabbing a soda from the fridge before joining her mom at the bar-like counter, she shrugged her shoulders with a sigh.

"It'll get better, Sydney , I promise."

The microwave beeped as a small voice from the entrance piped up. "Mommy!" Jake ran to his mother, Sydney instantly pulling him up onto her lap as her dinner was forgotten. "I missed you tons momma!" Burrowing as far as he could under her shoulder, she smiled with misty eyes and hugged him close.

"We didn't have any fun wiffout you, momma, did we gramma?"

"Oh I don't know, we got to feed the animals and water the garden. Are you saying that I don't know how to have fun little boy?" Laura stuck a finger in his ribs as he laughed, gripping onto his mother's hand.

"Did you sleep good?"

Sydney laughed at his innocent question, taking a moment to look clearly at the mark along his cheek. "I slept fine, baby. How's your cheek?"

"Hurts when you poke it."

"Well I'll stop pokin' it. How's your brother?" Standing up and setting him down in her vacated chair, she moved over to the microwave to grab the plate and they all converged at the dining table, Jake sitting on her lap once more as she ate.

"He tripped today and got an owie on his knee, but gramma kissded it and made it all better." Slipping his hand up and taking on of her carrots, he munched it as it cooled with a contented face.

"What are you doing up?" Jack asked as he walked into the kitchen, empty plate and glass in hand.

"I got up to get a drink, and found my mommy!"

They chatted in the kitchen until Sydney finished her dinner, allowing Jake to stay up with them before Jack and Laura promptly sent the two of them off to bed.

"Mommy, will you lay wiff me until I fall asleep?" the boy asked as she tucked him into the cool, disheveled bed.

Nodding with a sweet smile, they curled up together under the covers. Sydney was jolted awake - after not realizing she'd even fallen asleep - by a tugging at her arm. Turning to see bright blue eyes and a sniffling nose, she pulled Noah up onto the already overstuffed bed. He snuggled down in-between his brother and mother, his thumb going immediately to his mouth as his eyes closed - safe in Sydney's arms.

"Tomorrow will be better my boys...tomorrow will be better."

* * *

-Jeanie 


	4. Chapter 4: Stuff, Junk, and Whatnot

**Chapter 4: Stuff, Junk, and What-not**

* * *

Sydney sat in awkward silence as the boys chattered around her, the younger of the Vaughn's sitting across from her while fiddling with a large gold coin. She didn't much feel like talking – the morning meeting in her father's office with the two lawyers gave her little hope for a quick divorce – so she stayed relatively quiet. Michael could sense her detachment from their surroundings, so focused himself on watching over the boys and keeping an eye out around them. He was more comfortable since he'd changed out of his suit and tie into a t-shirt and blue jeans, tapping his foot as he scanned the people sitting around them.

Their food soon arrived, Sydney brightening up at the squeals of delight from her children as french-fries and a corn dog appeared for Noah, and french-fries and a turkey sandwich for Jake.

"Mommy…what'er we gonna do today?" Jake questioned, a mouth full of fries.

"I don't know sweetie, we're just going to have to play it by ear."

Confused looks passed over their faces, Sydney realizing that she'd probably said something she they couldn't quite understand. "What I meant was, do whatever we want to do."

"Go to the park?" Little Noah brightened up even more as he tried to maneuver the long corn-bread coated hot dog on a stick, the item slipping from his small hands and tumbling toward the floor.

Vaughn's swift hand caught it before it smashed onto the sidewalk, returning it to the boy's plate. "Why don't we cut this up for you? It'll make it a bit easier." Noah nodded, smiling at the 'funner man' – as he called him.

"Good catch," Sydney grinned, surprised to see Noah warm up to the younger Vaughn so quickly. Jake still eyed the man with caution, seeing him as someone potentially threatening, but not naïve little Noah. He was intent on making friends with everyone.

Once the corn dog was cut into three or four pieces, the meal commenced. As lunch wore on, Sydney began to slowly creep out of her shell. She wasn't used to a normal afternoon, and as she laughed at a quip from Michael she began to relax. Noah was beginning to nod off into his ketchup, Sydney grinning and maneuvering to pick up her son and settle him into her lap for a short nap.

"He passed out quick,"

"I don't know how he does it. As soon as food hits his stomach he's out like a light." Rubbing his back in smooth circles, Sydney placed a loving kiss to the top of his head as Jake finished his french-fries and pushed his plate away.

"Can we go, momma?"

"Where do you want to go honey? You're brother's gonna be out for a while, so let's just do what ever you want to do." Seeing the surprise on his face, she ruffled his hair with dimpled cheeks.

"Can we go to the nuzeeum? I 'member when Papa tooked us there. There were lions, and tigers, and dinosaurs!"

"Oh my," Michael finished the classic movie line, earning another laugh from Sydney's lips. _'It's a beautiful laugh. Good to see that she's a lot better now than on the plane. She never deserved any of this…I can just tell. Lawyer's instinct.'_

"The museum it is." She started to clean up their table as Michael broke his moment of silence with a shake of his head before grabbing the plates from her hands with a disarming smile.

"I'll do this, you get them in the car. I'll drive to the museum."

"Michael, no. It's all the way in the city, you don't have to do this."

"Hey, I promised your dad that I'd keep you safe. Plus…I used to work security in the museum to get through Law School and I still have contacts. I'll be able to get you into all the secret places."

"Secrets?" Jake asked quietly, still terribly shy about trusting the man in front of him.

"Oh yeah. I can get you back behind the scenes and you'll get to touch real dinosaur bones, and maybe even see some of the live animals they have. Snakes, spiders, lizards, stuff like that." Michael squatted down in front of the little boy as he hid close to Sydney's legs.

"Cool." His whispered exclamation made Vaughn smile, standing as they walked toward the Bristow's sedan, speeding off toward the American Museum of Nature History.

* * *

"Now this is a big place, okay?" Sydney crouched down in front of a wide-eyed Jake, unable to wipe the smile from his face at the large glass entrance where a huge room filled with the sun and planets of the solar system hung in mock orbit. "Hey you, look right here." Pointing to her eyes, she gathered his attention with a grin. "I need you to stay with Michael and me at all times, understand? What happens if you get lost or we get separated?"

"I find a police man."

"And what if there isn't a police man?"

"I find a worker of the nuzeeum, and he'll taked me to the lost and found."

Nodding as she tucked his small hand into hers, she left Michael to push the stroller where a still sleeping Noah lay under a warm blanket. They walked into the large archway underneath the glass structure, dozens of people going back and forth along the sidewalk. The inside of the museum was bustling, and Sydney knew that Noah's nap would probably be short lived.

"Okay, you guys wait right here and I'll go get us some passes." Michael smiled, setting his hand to the small of Sydney's back and ruffling Jake's hair as he turned and made his way to a hall marked 'SECURITY'. Jake sent the man an honest smile before looking back up at his mother.

"He's not like daddy."

"I know, he's nice isn't he?"

"Can he be my new daddy? My daddy never tooked us to the nuzeeum at home."

Sydney looked sadly down at the little boy, the fading mark on his cheek as she shook her head at his innocent words. "No sweetie, he's just going to be a friend. Mommy doesn't really want another daddy around for you guys right now. You're stuck with Papa Jack as the man of the house."

He nodded as he wiggled from foot to foot, eager to get into the museum and see everything, and touch whatever he was allowed to touch. Michael returned after a few minutes with four laminated badges that simply said 'VISITOR' with the date below it.

"Here you go, Syd, and here's one for Noah." Handing Jake his own nametag as Sydney bent down into the stroller to pin Noah's to his t-shirt. "Be careful with that buddy, you might want your mom to help you so you don't get poked."

"Can you help me?" Reaching up and hold out the badge, his large blue eyes sparkling as he trusted Michael to get close to him.

Crouching with a smile, Michael bunched up a small piece of the boy's shirt and stuck the pin through the material. "There you go, all done."

After making sure they were official, Michael and Sydney pinning the badges to the bottom hem of their shirts, they were off. Walking the first floor, spending ample time in the Space Science halls next to the entrance, Michael and Sydney took turns reading the signs and text for the exhibits to the eager little boy, making sure he pointed out several of his letters and numbers as they went.

Moving from space into the wilderness, they entered the North American Mammals, Noah making himself known as he sat up and pointed to a large gray wolf saying, "Puppy!"

They continued on, both little boys gasping in wonder as the entered the Ocean Life exhibitions. A 94-foot long model of a life size Blue Whale hung from the ceiling as though it were swimming through the huge ornate room.

"Momma, can we go see the dinosaurs?" Jake tugged her arm, disappointed when she suggested they look at everything else and save the best for last.

"Actually, there's a huge dinosaur right above us, so why don't we go upstairs?" Michael suggested, seeing both little boys eyes light up. "We can look at that one and then look at the rest of the dinosaurs after we've seen everything else. Does that work?"

"Yay!" Two little voice cried, several people around the small group looking over with sweet smiles. Noah reached up to Michael with both arms, clasping and unclasping his hands in an unspoken request to be picked up and carried.

"Noah, that's not how we ask for anything, sweetie."

"Up peeze?"

Michael quickly lifted him up, setting him naturally on his hip as the little boy clung to the front of his shirt with a small fist. Taking the elevator with half a dozen more people, they made their way into what was labeled the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Hall, in the center of the room was a stunning display of a long-necked dinosaur rearing up onto it's back legs as it was being attacked by two meat-eating dinosaurs.

"Oooh… wassat?" Noah pointed with a small chubby finger, Michael looking down and reading the sign in front of him aloud, Jake pushing up against him so he could hear.

"This long-neck is called _Barosaurus_, and it was as long as three school buses. See their long neck and tail?" As two little nods, he continues. "The sharp-toothed dinosaurs are _Allosaurus_, and they're hungry. That's a lot of dinosaur for them to eat, isn't it?"

Sydney sat back, slightly amazed at how well the boys were doing with Michael, and how beautifully he himself was handling the two boys. He words were always gentle and never loud, even when he was talking to her. _'I wonder how many battered family cases he's had to work,'_ she thought, leaning against she stroller as she watched her sons interact with their new friend.

After leaving the dinosaurs with a wave from Noah and a laugh from the adults, they made their way through the first floor, bypassing many of the adult oriented exhibits in favor of entertaining the two little boys. Noah had made his way from Michael's arm onto his shoulders, clinging to his forehead with a huge smile as Jake decided to walk next to his mother, his hand holding hers to 'help' push the empty stroller.

"Where we goin' now?"

"Let's look around this floor before going up again."

"There's more than this?!" he exclaimed, clapping his little hands as Noah hoorayed from his perch on Michael's shoulders.

They wandered the crowded hallways, stopping to look at the African mammals in the center before finding a new exhibit called the Butterfly Conservatory. Stepping into a closed off room, they followed a winding path leading through an ambient rainforest; Jake was the first one to point out a large butterfly flitting from leaf to leaf.

They spent almost an hour looking at the butterflies, a volunteer assisting them as she pointed out all of the parts of the creature to the children, Noah amazed as a butterfly landed on his tiny hand. He stared at it for a minute or so before it took back to the air.

"Buhfly, momma, buhfly!" he giggled, Sydney smiling and hugging him close as they left the flying insects and went back to the main part of the museum.

"Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm getting tired. What say we go look at the dinosaurs and then head home?" A yawn from Jake and a nod from Noah was her answer as they headed up to the top floor. After gawking at the many dinosaurs the museum showed, spending most of their time at yet another long-necked dinosaur which seemed to be their favorite, they headed back out to the car. Sydney had picked Jake up halfway through the museum as they stopped by the security office to drop off their badges.

By the time they got to the car both of the children were sound asleep and Sydney was halfway there. Michael opted to drive back to the Bristow family home and she acquiesced before quickly falling asleep in the front seat of the car.

"Umm…Mr. Bristow?" Vaughn called into the foyer of the home, seeing Laura poke her head out of the kitchen.

"Well, there you are. We were beginning to lose hope of ever seeing you again. Where's the brood you left with?"

"They're all asleep in the car and I wanted some help carrying them in."

Wiping her hands on a dishtowel, she followed him outside and spotted the sleeping family in the car. Unbuckling Noah from his car seat, Laura carried him in first and took him up to his room, Vaughn following with Jake tucked against his chest. They made their way back outside as they stopped to watch Sydney sleep.

"What do you think, should we wake her? She's had a long day, let along a rough week." 'Or a rough three years, whichever comes first.'

"Well, I'll leave it up to you. I can't carry her in, I'd drop her down the stairs." Laura laughed and moved to hold the door open as Michael opened the front door and unbuckled the young mother. Reaching an arm under her legs he pulled her against his chest, her arm automatically wrapping around his neck as she cuddled her cheek into his shoulder.

Climbing the steps with her mother on his heels, he took her to the spare room across from the boys and gently laid her on the bed. After brushing a lock of hair from her forehead, he stepped out of the room and closed the door behind him.

Laura invited him down for some iced tea, and they made their way into the kitchen.

"Michael, you're a good boy, I know that. But I also know that you get too close to a lot of your cases due to the people you choose to help. My daughter can't be one of those cases."

"What do you mean, 'get too close'?" He asked, slightly defensive.

"You try to make everything in their life better, which we appreciate, but she needs more time before getting into anything."

"Whoa, whoa…you're not…oh, Mrs. Bristow, you know I could never do that to a client. I try not to get involved with them, but it's tough. You see how much they're hurting and you want to do everything you can to make the pain go away. But I would never get romantically involved with one of my clients – I swear to you – least of all your daughter. You husband would probably make sure I could never bear children."

The Bristow woman laughed, reassured that her daughter's heart would be safe enough until the time came for her to begin living again.

"I didn't mean to put you on the spot, Michael, I just…my daughter is my main concern right now. I mean…Rick's been calling almost non-stop since she told him about the divorce, and you can imagine how defensive her father and I get."

Vaughn laughed, finishing his tea and standing quietly. "Well, you've got nothing to worry about from me, I assure you. And the next time Rick calls, let me know. We can arrange a restraining order pretty quick if you need one."

At her nod, he left with a goodbye and a wave. Laura was left standing in the kitchen was a contemplative look on her face, Jack walking in with a smile.

"What's on your mind?"

"Do you think she'll have to go to family court?"

"Probably. I don't think that Rick will just give up complete control over her and the boys quite yet. He'll probably fight, but you know he won't win."

Sighing, she continued. "It'll be tough on her, you know? Having to allocate everything that he did to her over the last two and a half years."

Jack watched the emotions sweep over his wife's eyes, seeing something else hidden in the chocolate depths. "Are you worried about Sydney recounting her story or are you worried about having to hear everything that Rick did to our daughter?"

"Don't shrink me, Jack, I was just thinking out loud."

"But I love to shrink you," he grinned, pulling her close for a hug. "I don't want to hear it either. But…we didn't have to live it – it'll be different for us. It'll hurt all the same, but she's the survivor and even though it'll kill us to listen to her, she needs us to be stronger than that."

* * *

A/N: Okay…so it's totally a crappy place to end, but I did it. So ha. We'll be getting into some legal stuff soon, so I'm gonna have to buff myself up on some of the facts. I mean…I watch Law and Order: SVU, but I don't really take notes or write things down for fics. So it might be a bit before the next TBON update.

Pronunciations of the dinosaurs for those interested:

_Barosaurus _(bare-o-sore-us)

_Allosaurus _(al-o-sore-us)

-Jeanie


	5. Chapter 5: Hard Times

A/N: Half way through this chapter I decided that I wanted to incorporate a song into this chappie. It's Eastmountainsouth's Hard Times. I'd really recommend that CD (as far as I know it's eastmountainsouth's only one). It does have So Are You To Me on it as well…and MANY other fantastic songs.

are song lyrics

are flashbacks

* * *

**Chapter 5: Hard Times**

* * *

_Let us pause in life's pleasures and count its many tears_

_While we all sup sorrow with the poor_

_There's a song that will linger forever in our ears_

_Oh, hard times come again no more_

* * *

"Momma?"

"Yes sweetie?" Sydney mumbled as she tried to get Noah to hold still long enough to snap his overalls.

"Why can't I play with you all day?"

His innocent question made her smile and reach out to run a hand through his dark blonde hair. Her toddler made a break for it on wobbly legs, giggling before he ran into his grandmother in the hallway. Laura deftly scooped him up and snapped the overall latches into place before entering the room.

"Well, Bill and Michael just showed up, but I say we get some breakfast before we start all that."

Sydney reluctantly nodded and stood, Jake reaching up and asking her to carry him. He'd been more clingy recently, never demanding her attention but always making sure that she was aware of what he was doing. Any opportunity that he had, he would have Sydney hold him close or sit on her lap.

Hefting him up, they made their way to the kitchen to make breakfast. "You can make the boys whatever you'd like mom, I'm probably just gonna eat toast."

Laura turned, hand on her hip and a skillet in the other, her hips cocked along with an eyebrow - the classic stance that told any viewer that they were about to get some motherly advice.

"You'll need your energy for today sweetheart, why don't we make pancakes, eggs, and bacon?"

Sydney sighed, giving her mother the same look. "That may have worked when I was younger, but I'm a mom now too. Besides...with everything I have to talk about I'll have trouble keeping the food down as it is, no matter if it's toast or a continental breakfast."

Noah tugged at his grandmothers shirt, fixing her with bright blue eyes saying, "'cakes?"

With a laugh the small group began to prepare breakfast. Noah helped break the eggs, his favorite job, and Jake helped Laura pour the batter into the skillet. After a hearty pile of food sat on plates atop the kitchen table, the elder Bristow female called out to the men to come and eat something before the day started.

Though the children were oblivious to the tension in the air, they understood that a lack of conversation usually meant that they should be quiet as well. Dutifully they ate their breakfast, bellying up on the syrupy pancakes and cheesy scrambled eggs before politely asking to go upstairs and play with their toys.

After the children had scampered off, Jack finally got a good look at his daughter's plate. " Sydney , you've hardly eaten anything. It's probably going to be a long morning, sweetheart, you should have more than that."

"Dad, I'm fine...um...I'll be fine. I doubt it's going to stay down anyway." Reiterating what she'd already told her mother, she stood and went to brush her teeth before agreeing to meet the men in the library. Her mother went with her in hopes of getting a run down of the boys napping schedule, and to have a small pep talk with her only child.

Catching her in the bathroom, a pale Sydney leaning over the sink taking deep breaths, Laura's heart broke for the millionth time at seeing the pain her daughter was in.

"It'll be okay honey, I know it will. I mean...it might not be okay today...or tomorrow, but it will eventually get better."

Sydney merely nodded, trying to quell the urge to lose the half of the buttered pancake she'd consumed minutes ago. After splashing her face with cool water and brushing her teeth, she was delighted when her mother blatantly changed the subject and began asking about the boys. Catching her up on sleeping schedules, which had been slightly out of whack over the last week, Sydney moved into the boys bedroom to tell them to behave for grandma and snag a couple of hugs and kisses before her day began.

"Boys, I want you to have fun with grandma today, okay? You'll be around the horses so be careful." Noah hugged his mother, smushing a wet kiss against her cheek before scampering off to play with his trucks. Jake however noticed immediately that something was wrong and asked to be picked up.

"Mommy, will you leave us here?"

Frowning and pulling back she fixed her brown eyes on his cerulean orbs, seeing the uncertainty in his naive little face. "Baby, why would you think that I'm leaving you? I've just got to spend the day with papa Jack, Michael and his dad to try and figure out what we're going to do about your daddy."

'There's no sense in lying right now, might as well tell him it's about his father.'

"What about daddy? Is he gonna come here?"

"Absolutely not sweetheart, I promise. I'll be with you forever, okay?"

At his shy nod he leaned in and gave her a kiss before holding out his favorite toy - a small plastic Spiderman figure that fit perfectly in the center of his tiny hand. "He's my friend when I'm sad, if you hold him he will give you happy pictures in your head."

Smiling with watery eyes and kissing his forehead, she handed him off to his grandmother before tucking the super hero into the palm of her hand, hoping that her young son was right in his hopes of giving her good thoughts for her day. Trudging off toward the study, a pit of anxiety mixed with fear settled low in her stomach.

* * *

_ 'Tis a song, a sigh of the weary_

_Hard times, hard times come again no more_

_Many days you have lingered around my cabin door_

_Oh, hard times come again no more_

* * *

Jack met her in the hallway outside of his office, and she could hear quiet conversation and shuffling of papers beyond the slightly opened door.

"Now…I know you don't want to do this Sydney , and believe me, I'd do it for you if I could, but if you at any time need to take a break you just speak up. This doesn't have to be an all day thing."

"Dad…I don't wanna do this; I don't wanna go in there."

Tears welled up in her eyes, not the first of the day, and her father sent her a small sympathetic smile. "Just remember that once you do this, it'll be in their hands and you won't have to deal with it for a while."

Heaving a sigh and accepting a hug and a kiss, she turned and headed into the room. Stopping, she noticed that her father wasn't moving from his spot in the hallway. In fact – he pulled up a chair and placed it across the hall from the door.

"What are you doing? Aren't you going to be in there with me?" Sounding more like a scared child than ever, panic flashed in her brown eyes. "Dad…I can't do this without you…please be in there with me."

"I can't sweetheart. Bill and Michael have to get this statement from you with no mitigating factors. And I know you – you'll leave parts out because I'm in the room. I'll be right here, I swear. I'll be here when you're through."

Dropping her hands to her sides she held back a sob and tilted her head to the ceiling, mustering up what courage she had left.

'I have to do this…I have to finish this one little thing. Not…for me…but for the boys. They need me to be stronger that this…'

Wiping at her cheeks she gave Jack one last longing look before stepping into the room.

"Ah, Sydney . Would you close the door please?"

Jack's stomach dropped as Bill's words echoed through the room and out to where he was sitting. He was hoping that he'd at least be able to hear what was being said, despite the fact that he'd told his litter girl that he couldn't. Propping his elbows up on his knees and settling his head into his palms he had only one thing to do –

- wait.

* * *

_ While we seek mirth and beauty_

_And music light and gay_

_There are frail ones fainting at the door_

_Though their voices are silent_

_Their pleading looks will say_

_Oh, hard times come again no more_

* * *

Sydney 's mind was a wash of memories.

Some she'd tried to suppress, though they wouldn't be forced out of her conscious mind. Others were more pleasant. Thankfully, Bill was more than happy to sit and talk with her for a while before delving into the specifics of exactly why he and his son were there. While Bill and Sydney talked Michael sat at a laptop on her fathers desk and diligently typed everything down.

"Tell me about your boys. They're awfully cute."

Sydney flashed a genuine smile, relaxing a bit as her hands slid away from their clinched position against the armrests of the cushioned chair.

"Umm…Jake is a little over five and Noah is going to be three in a few months."

"That's great, I can almost remember Michael at that age. They seem very well taught, does Jake do well in school?"

Sydney nodded, "he's top of his class in kindergarten, which is all a mother could ask for. Fortunately for me his classes were at the school where I teach so I could easily pick him up and drop him off at his babysitters for the rest of my work day."

"So you're a teacher? What grade?"

"Well, I worked at a pre-K through 8th grade school, so I had English classes in 2nd, 4th, 7th, and 8th grades."

Bill smiled, his posture and voice completely at ease.

_'Maybe this won't be so hard after all. If they're gonna take it in stride, I suppose I will too.'_

"How long did you live in Los Angeles ?"

Sydney did the math, looking away studiously for a moment before turning back with an answer. "Almost six years. We moved there right after we got married."

"Good, good. How was Rick when you first got married? Did he ever show signs of aggression?"

_'Damnit.'_

"Umm…no. He was…kind. I guess he was everything a new husband should be. We went on our honeymoon to Paris and were pretty much normal newlyweds."

_ "Syd, c'mon, we've gotta go get the pictures from the developer." _

"_Honey, do you honestly think they're ready yet?" Sydney laughed from behind her magazine as she sat cross-legged on the floor surrounded by dozens of unpacked boxes._

_Rick squatted down in front of her, tipping the literature away from her with a wry smile. "I just want to see if they're done. If they're not we can grab lunch."_

_Hauling her up despite her grousing, they quickly locked the door of their brand new town home and smiled and waved at the new neighbors before jumping in the car. Arriving at the small shopette they found that the pictures were indeed not quite finished, much to Rick's chagrin, so they decided to stop at a deli across the street._

"_You know…we could plan a second honeymoon," Rick suggested between bites of his sandwich as his wife rolled her eyes. "What? We had fun didn't we?"_

"_Of course it was fun, but it technically wouldn't be called a honeymoon, it's what's known as a vacation. Which, may I remind you, that neither of us have time off of work for. Don't worry baby, we'll get time off again soon."_

_He complied with a grunt, finishing their lunch before they bounced off to the developer once more, finding that the pictures of their honeymoon were finally done. Spending the rest of the afternoon on the living room floor using a box as a dining room table the couple flipped through the hundred or so photos they'd taken while in Paris . Rick's humongous and expensive digital camera took magnificent photos of the scenery, while Sydney's smaller and less expensive camera was used for the fun shots – swimming pools, gardens, and theme parks. _

"So there wasn't any time where you and Rick got into an argument and he appeared threatening or threatened you."

"No…not that I can remember. We were surprised when we found out about Jake, but after planning for Noah it seemed to work out. It wasn't until he was fired from his job that he began drinking."

"When was this?"

"Umm…Noah was about three months old, so a little over two and a half years ago."

Bill nodded as he put on his glasses, his bright green eyes – so much like his sons – flashing behind the glass lenses as he looked down at several pieces of paper in his hands.

"Could you pin down the exact moment when Rick began showing signs of aggression or began threatening you?"

Sydney thought for a moment, her hands once again moving back to the arms, her fingers digging in.

"It was…right after Noah had his three month checkup…"

_ Balancing her purse and a carrier in her hands Sydney struggled to open up the front door to the town home. The air outside was hot and sticky, and though the cooling breeze from the ocean was wafting in, it wasn't doing much against the sun reflecting off of the white houses and hot asphalt._

_Little Noah cried from behind the shade that was pulled down over the top of his car seat, the heat beginning to get trapped inside with his tiny little body. Jake stood next to his mother with a stuffed dog in his small hands, the two year old more than content to pretend that his puppy was bouncing up and down rather than focus on the heat of mid afternoon._

"_I know sweetie, just give mommy a minute. She doesn't have enough hands to do this," she grunted, finally fitting the key into the hole and managing to unlock the front door. Blessedly cool air flowed around them and though the infant's aggravation wouldn't be quelled, Sydney began to feel much better. _

_Setting her things in the middle of the foyer she opened up his seat and unbuckled him, pulling his hot little body out of the confining space and into the open coolness of the living room. Her eldest scampered off to a pile of large building blocks, pulling the container out to the middle of the floor._

"_Oh, Mr. Grumpy, what's gotten into you?"_

_Carrying him upstairs, he began to calm a bit tucked against his mother's familiar chest. Changing his diaper quickly, she heard the front door open and slam. Not worrying about his clothes, she hurried downstairs._

"_Jake, how many times have I said not to open the door baby?"_

_His innocent eyes peeked up at her from his spot at his blocks, though her attention was drawn to the broken man sitting on the couch with his head in his hands. A box of office items, photos, a small plant and hand-drawn pictures from Jake sat at his feet._

"_Honey, what happened?"_

"_The bastards fired me."_

_Sydney gasped, settling Noah in the play pin in the kitchen while asking Jake to go upstairs to his room to find something else to do._

"_Why did they fire you baby?"_

_Crouching down in front of him, it wasn't hard to notice the alcohol smell radiating from his body. She ignored it, trying to convince herself that she'd probably do the same thing if she'd been fired from a job that she'd given over 8 years of service to._

"_They said that I hadn't done enough for the company. That because I hadn't taken that business trip a couple of months ago that I wasn't a necessary part of the team." His voice rose with each slurred word, Sydney rocking back on her heels as she looked at the angry and hurt man in front of her._

"_Bastards," was all she could think of to say, startled, she watched as he stood up and picked up his box of items, hurling it across the room into Jake's plastic shelves of toys._

"_They didn't give a fck! I told them I was having a kid…that I needed to be here for you, and this is how they treat a family man? For Christ's sake their motto is 'To Help Better Serve the Family Community'!"_

"_Easy sweetheart, I know you're upset, but they boys are here. Why don't I drop them off at Becky's and we can talk."_

_He turned, his eyes flashing angrily. "I lose my fckng job and all you care about is whether or not the kids hear daddy say a bad word?!"_

"_No…that's not what I meant, I only meant-"_

"_I'm going out," he snarled, stalking past her as she stood quickly, setting her hand against his arm._

"_Please don't go…look, I'm sorry, I should have been more sensitive. C'mon, let's talk."_

_Ripping his arm away from her he grabbed his keys from the dining room table and flew out the door, the wood and metal slamming as it met head on from the force of an angry husband. _

"So…his first act of aggression wasn't physical."

Sydney shook her head, her mind still lost in the memory of having to calm a crying two year old, letting him know that daddy didn't mean to yell – that he was just angry.

"Did the drinking continue?"

Another nod.

"I mean did the drinking continue that day."

"Yeah, he…I found him passed out in the middle of the living room later that afternoon. I'd taken the boys to the park and then over to their babysitter Becky's for a few hours so I could clean up the mess. He'd gotten back after I'd left, and I found the car in the middle of the lawn and him a mess on the carpet."

"What did you do?"

"I fixed the boys dinner and put them to bed early before I woke him up enough that I could get him onto the couch."

"Was he still angry?"

She shook her head, seeing surprise on Bill's face. "Well, I don't think he remembered that he was angry. He apologized for losing his temper and fell back to sleep, so I just covered him up with a blanket."

"What happened the next day?"

Sydney thought, trying desperately to remember the day following their big blow up. "Ummm…nothing I think. He had a horrible hangover, but he apologized again the next morning and spent time with Jake and Noah before looking for jobs online and in the newspaper."

"And did he come close to finding a job?"

"Yes, a couple of times. But they each ended with a letter that said 'we appreciate your application but we're not looking to hire at this time'."

"And…after he received these letters did he get angry or aggressive?"

"Not toward me…or the boys, but he'd say he needed to go out for a while and end up coming home drunk, bruised and bleeding. I just figured that he'd get his aggression out in meaningless bar fights, but it got so bad that I had to go and get him out of jail one night. I…I guess…after that…was when it got physical."

"When was this and how did it happen?"

_ "Jake, please hold still," Sydney laughed as she tried valiantly to get the squirming two and a half year old to sit still so she could get his pajamas on._

"_I'ma foggie!" Giggling, he proved his point by jumping up and down a few times, Sydney having to abandon connecting the zipper from one side of the footie pajamas to the other. _

"_Okay froggie, you can't sleep without p.j's. so let's get these on."_

"_Nekkid,"_

"_No, little roo, we're not gonna sleep naked. That's why grandma and papa got you these pajamas."_

"_Foggies no 'jammas!" he grumbled, crossing his little arms over his chest._

_Deciding that he wasn't upset at having to put his pajamas on, that he was merely upset at not getting a chance to do what he wanted, Sydney caved a little bit._

"_Do you want to do it?"_

_This aroused his interest, and he quickly nodded his head and reached down for the zipper._

"_Zip zip!"_

_Sydney laughed, guiding his fingers to the correct spots before helping him hook the zipper into it's partnering spot. "Now pull up roo,"_

_With ease, the zipper traveled up his leg, twisting around to the front up and over his stomach before ending at the level of his collarbones._

"_Good job! Now, let's get you into bed."_

_Flying him up the stairs and into his little racecar shaped bed she smiled across the room at a sleeping Noah. "I love you. Promise me you'll stay in bed and not come out, okay? You've got your talkie right here, so if you need me you can just ask and I'll hear you through my talkie."_

_Picking up and holding out his monitor she switched it on, making sure he'd be able to use it if he got scared or had to go to the bathroom. Potty training was going well…but not through the night. The installation of a rubber protective mat to go over his bed became essential, as did pull-up diapers when he was sleeping._

"_Nite momma, lub!"_

"_Love you too, little roo."_

_Closing the door to the nursery she jogged down the steps to begin laundry. Running around the house and gathering the dirty clothes from each room, waiting until the very end to get the kids clothes so that she wouldn't disturb her son while he was trying to get to sleep, she carried the large basket to the basement laundry room._

_Her only indication that Rick was home was the slam of the front door. Sighing, she knew she was probably in for a long night of fixing her husbands bumps and bruises and then have to be up for Noah's 1AM feeding between loads of wash. Finishing loading up the washing machine, she left everything else downstairs before making her way up to the kitchen._

_The fridge was open, and though she couldn't see him she could hear him._

"_Damnit, I'm hungry." His voice was slurred, and as she turned and picked up his jacket from its current position in the middle of the living room floor, she immediately noticed the bloodstains on the front._

"_Well, you missed dinner."_

"_Yeah, but you can still make me something, can't you?"_

"_I don't know Rick, I haven't had time to go to the store this week so we're pretty low on food. We might have to wait until the weekend because I get paid on Friday."_

"_So what, I have to starve because you won't go to the store?"_

_Sydney's temper flared, though she pushed it down knowing that he'd be more than content to argue since he was drunk. "It's not that I don't want to go, I just don't have time. I'm trying to get a lesson plan together for the new school year, get Jakey enrolled for Kindergarten, keep the house clean and raise the kids. I'm sorry I can't always do something the second you snap at me to do it."_

"_Where the hell is this coming from?"_

"_I'm tired of this, Rick! You're not doing anything to help get yourself a job. Did you go to your interview today?"_

"_Yeah…they…they said they'd give me a call. It looked…very promising."_

_Shaking her head at his slurred statement, she walked over to the answering machine and pushed the large green button._

'_Hello, Mr. Cavanaugh, this is Margaret over at Parents Magazine. You had an appointment today for 11:45 to apply for the graphic design position that's open and we didn't see you for the appointment. If you need to call and verify another day or time, you can call me at-'_

_With a beep Sydney cut off the message. "Have you been going to any of these interviews? Or have you just been wasting time and money at a bar?"_

"_Who the hell do you think you are? You can't tell me what I can and can't do."_

"_You're the reason we don't have any food in the house, Rick! You're being so selfish about this whole thing! You got fired – SO WHAT? Get off of your ass and do something about it! I can't raise this family on my own, pal, you need to help. And that means getting a job, doing it, and being here to support your kids."_

_A loud slap resonated through the kitchen, the stinging of Sydney 's cheek her first indication that something had happened. The shocked look on Rick's face as mirrored in her own, though that changed as tears filled her eyes as she stared at the man that a rough patch in life had changed so much._

"_God…Syd…I'm…I'm so sorry, sweetie…I just snapped."_

_She backed away, lifting up his coat and handing him his keys. Getting the message quickly he gathered his things up and walked outside to his haphazardly parked car. _

_ 'Tis a sigh that is wafted across the troubled wave_

_'Tis a wail that is heard upon the shore_

_'Tis a dirge that is murmured around the lowly grave_

_Oh, hard times come again no more_

_'Tis a song a sigh of the weary_

_Hard times hard times come again no more_

_Many days you have lingered around my cabin door_

_Oh, hard times come again no more_

_Oh, hard times come again no more _

After giving the young woman a few minutes of silence, the elder Vaughn continued. "What happened after that?"

Sydney 's grip on the chair grew as she remembered walking blindly through tears to the nearest bathroom and staring for almost an hour at the red finger marks on her cheek. She shock hadn't dissipated, and she wasn't quite sure if it ever would.

"It…hurt."

Bill noticed immediately that Sydney 's mind wasn't with them at the moment, and felt that she may need a break. Gesturing over to Michael who'd stopped typing at her quiet utterance, he signaled for a glass of water and the young man hurried to comply.

"I…I couldn't believe that he'd hit me. I…I never thought that he'd become that kind of guy, you know? I…I never saw it coming."

"Sydney , most women don't. There's nothing to be ashamed of. Why don't we take a break?"

"But it wasn't the only time…he…he did it more often. He'd come home angry and I…I had to put the boys to bed earlier and earlier…and he just didn't care." Her eyes overflowed as she began to sob through her words, Michael reentering and closing the door after setting a hand to a worried Mr. Bristow's shoulder.

"Sydney- "

"Slaps turned to punches…and – and kicks, and I just…I didn't want to believe it. How…how could love turn so," searching for the right word, her fingers turning white against their grip of the armrests, Bill sat at a loss.

'This is Jack's field, he's the psychologists, not me.'

"-so angry? I didn't even…even try to stop him. I just made sure th-that the boys weren't around for it."

Memories quickly assaulted her mind. Rick finding out she'd scheduled interviews for him – and the black eye and broken rib that followed. Rick opening the check that she'd gotten from her father after asking for help with rent that month – and the broken, jagged piece of a mirror that lie imbedded in her arm after its jaunt across the room and against the wall she'd been backed into.

Her eyes flitted to the scar that was merely a faint white streak across the side of her lower arm, starting above her wrist and moving four inches toward the crook of her elbow.

"Sydney …let's stop." Michael's voice snapped her out a bit, her confused, swollen, and red eyes looking up at him as he walked over with the glass of water in his hand. "Okay? Why don't we stop? You can calm down a little bit and then go check on the boys?"

She dumbly nodded, though she couldn't help from keeping her fingers from tracing a scar here and there. Sobs wracked her body, and Michael did the only thing he could.

He set the water down, knelt in front of the chair, and hugged her.

* * *

A/N: So…we're getting into it. Angstville, population all of my readers. I broke this chapter up into two parts because (quite frankly) I needed a break from writing it. Some of the things I'll write about in this fic will be made up. Jake getting hit with a belt (I never got hit, thankfully), but everything that will be mentioned happening to Sydney , my mother went through. So, a break was needed. The second part will be coming up soon, since we're getting into the slower months at work it'll get easier to write. WOO HOO! More writing! Or…I should say…writing something. Let me know what you guys think!

-Jeanie


	6. Chapter 6: Hard Times Part 2

A/N: Okay...so after an absence of what feels like forever, hopefully I can get back into my fics. *sigh* Real life, you know?! Anywho, on we go. I've missed this universe, so we'll just jump right into it.

~ Are song lyrics

~~ Are flashbacks

Chapter 6: Hard Times Part 2

_~ It was only one hour ago_

_It was all so different then_

_There's nothing yet has really sunk in_

_Looks like it always did_

_This flesh and bone_

_It's just the way that you would tied in_

_Now there's no-one home ~ Peter Gabriel - I Grieve_

Leaning against the fence's top rung and watching her children play with their grandmother set her mind at ease. She was drained of everything at the moment and wasn't exactly sure if she'd obey the, 'let's get back together in one hour' parameter that the elder Vaughn had set.

She had nothing against the Vaughn's for putting her through this. She knew that she'd eventually have to recount everything that Rick had done to her and the boys, it was just that she wasn't prepared for everything to hit her at once. The damage was done though, and while she felt that she'd been seeing the light at the end of the proverbial tunnel through her parents' kindness, after today she knew it was just a train barreling toward her as she hobbled down the tracks.

Feeling more than seeing a presence beside her, peeking out of the corner of her eye, she recognized the younger of the lawyers as he leaned against the railing beside her. Blessedly, he said nothing - leaving the woman to her thoughts.

"I'm afraid to go back inside, Michael." Her quiet admission permeated the silence, fear lacing each word. She didn't make eye contact, and he wasn't even sure if he was supposed to answer - let alone know what he would say to help her. _'All those years at Harvard Law and you don't know what to say?' _

Sydney's eyes were fixed on the pasture across the yard, her mother leading the boys around as they fed the goats, chickens, and Shetland ponies. Despite the scene of normalcy before her, she wasn't actually seeing it. Her eyes were seeing one thing while her mind was filled the image of the plush chair and the memories she'd have to loose while sitting in it - the chair only pretending to be innocent and comfy.

He wanted nothing more than to help the hurting young woman before him, finally saying the first thing that came to mind. Clearing his throat a bit and gathering his thoughts, "I'm…I'm afraid of spiders."

Breaking her focus she turned to study his face, her eyes reflecting confusion as she shook her head silently. "What?"

Michael stuttered, his gaze moving down to the railing as the woods detail claimed his attention, an embarrassed smile gracing his lips. "I...I just…I thought that...if I shared a fear of mine it - it would help. I'm sorry."

His cheeks blushed but he was surprised when she began laughing. "Look, your dad is the psychologist, not me. I don't know why I said that." Her laughter continued, giving way to giggles as she leaned against the railing wiping tears from her eyes.

"Thank you, Michael. I...I needed that. That helped more than you know." For once the tears were happy and she couldn't wipe the smile from her face - dimples out in full force.

"What were you thinking about before my disastrous attempt at distraction?"

Sydney sighed, the dimples and smiles leaving, as she finally regarded her companion. "I guess I've just been thinking about all the wrong decisions I've ever made. I know it's not the most productive use of my time, but I can't stop going over all of the details in my head, you know? What could I have done differently? And even if there was something different that I could do…would I have had the guts to do it or would I have been too afraid to even try?"

"You're stronger than you think you are, but even Atlas needed help holding up the sky."

With a smile and a squeeze to her shoulder, Michael turned and headed back to the house. Sydney sighed and, as if walking proverbial green mile, made her way over dew-dripping grass back to the front door.

* * *

Sydney wiped at her cheeks for the millionth time it seemed, pausing for a moment to take a sip of water. If anything was easy about the whole ordeal it was the fact that the Vaughn's were extremely compassionate. They actually listened to every word she spoke, giving her time for each little breakdown and even more for her to compose herself. They flinched as they imagined each instance of violence against the young woman sitting in the chair beside them, their kind green eyes full of understanding.

"How bad did Rick get, Sydney? Did you ever need serious medical attention?"

It took her a moment, but she focused her gaze and fingers on a hole in the knee of her jeans before nodding slowly.

"Do you remember which hospital you were at and when you were admitted?"

"Ummm, Angel's Mercy Hospital, four months ago roughly, I…I don't remember a date. To be honest - I don't remember much of anything from those few days."

Ironically, it was one of her less painful memories. She wasn't sure about the details because of the severe head trauma, but she did distinctly remember the pain after waking from her three-day stay at the hospital.

"I…I only remember arguing after getting home late one evening. My friend had babysat the boys since I'd promised one of my students that I'd be there at a school play if he'd redo his homework for a better grade." She laughed, though to the Vaughn's it sounded a bit more like a sob, and would have thought so if it wasn't for the wistful smile on her face.

"Sydney, if you don't remember that's okay. Michael, would you call the hospital and have them fax over the information please?" Bill removed his glasses and rubbed at the pinched skin at the bridge of his nose, his son typing a bit on the computer before pulling out his cell phone and dialing, stepping from the room for a moment.

Placing a hand to her knee he squeezed gently, catching her attention. "Do you need anything? More water?"

"I'm okay, I suppose."

Jack watched as Michael spoke quietly with someone at a hospital, his worried eyes following the lawyer as he paced up and down the hallway. The green-eyed man gave the fax number of the house, thanking whoever was on the other line before sliding the phone back into his pocket.

"What…how are things going?"

Michael smiled reassuringly before patting the elder Bristow on the back and reentering the room.

"The fax will be here soon, they had the files available."

"Thanks, son." The compassionate-eyed business man was back, his glasses going back over his eyes as he turned his attention once more to the blotchy, bleary-eyed woman. "Was that the worst, Sydney?"

"That he physically did to me? Yeah. I don't remember much, but I do remember that it was after his annual baseball game that he and his friends from high school played."

"He...he didn't hit you with his fists that night, did he?" Michael had been silent throughout the whole day - content to listen and type and keep his opinions and comments to himself, but this one story had his teeth and nerves on edge. It wasn't until the others in the room fixed their eyes on him that he realized he'd asked the question aloud.

Her response was a shrug as she lifted her hand, fingering the make-up covered scar underneath her right eye. "All I remember is that he was so drunk he could hardly walk, and he and his friends partied in the backyard until the middle of the night, despite the fact that they'd lost the game. I finally asked them to pack it in since the boys were trying to sleep and the cops had already been there once because of a noise complaint. He…seemed fine with it until his friends left," she floated away, her eyes glazing over with tears as more and more of the night pieced itself together the harder she thought about it.

"I'd never seen such a, a terrifying look on his face. I mean, he always scared me, but this - this was a fear I'd never felt before. I remember us arguing but not what the subject was. I usually didn't argue with him, but that night I was apparently either brave or stupid."

She paused, her fingers reaching up to her cheek subconsciously to once again finger the scar feeling the wetness that had been absent before.

"I...I remember telling him off that baseball wasn't a job and that I didn't want his friends around our house any longer. And the next thing I remember is waking up in the hospital with 18 stitches under my eye and four broken ribs."

Tears spilled down her cheeks as she recalled the gasp of her friend Becky when she went to pick up the boys from their four-day stay with her impromptu babysitter.

"What did you tell the people around you?"

"Car accident. It...it wasn't a hard lie to fit in to since after Rick did...what he had, he left the house and crashed the car into a tree." Taking in a shuddering breath she tried to compose herself, feeling her lip and chin begin to quiver.

Bill's eyes shone with confusion as he removed his glasses, fixing her with a soft yet piercing gaze. "If Rick left after the incident...how did you get to the hospital?"

A sob escaped her lips as she snatched up another Kleenex, her fingers tracing the outline of the Spiderman action figure in her jeans pocket. "Jake told me that he - he saved me. Th-that he'd called 9-1-1 like a good boy...like I'd taught him if someone needed help. Bill…please – please don't interview my baby."

He nodded, lying to the young woman knowing that he'd have to ask the little boy about the night where Sydney had been so severely injured.

"Did he ever hit your children?" A deft change of subject, though no one in the room complained.

"Once – and that's when we…well – _I_ left."

"You…you wouldn't happen to have taken pictures, would you? If we need to go to family court because Rick wants to fight for custody, we'll need evidence that shows that he isn't a fit parent. Though, if I was a judge I wouldn't give him a kid even if it would save his life."

Sydney sighed, reaching into her pocket and extracting her cell phone. "I…I took a couple of pictures with my phone while he was asleep. Rick hit him with his belt and left finger marks on his arms, but that's all I've known of. I've always made sure that I was home with my boys when Rick was around, I swear."

Bill reassured her, making sure she knew that they weren't calling her parenting into question.

"I might have to ask him some questions, but I'm not going to sit down with him as we have with you, Sydney, I promise you that. If everything goes well we can finish the papers, have you sign them, get them over to Rick, have _him_ sign them, and then be done with it. Keeping it out of family court would be best for everyone here, honestly."

"You know…I think we're good. I'm sorry that we had to make you go through all of this, I really am. I've been friends with your father for years and I've heard so much about you I feel that you're my own daughter. It just breaks my heart to see how you've been treated. I'll make sure that if this does take longer than it should, I'll shelter you from the brunt of it." Bill took her hand and squeezed it, Sydney leaning forward and catching him in a hug as a sob soaked into his jacket. A chorus of stomachs grumbled, breaking the tension in the room as the three of them laughed. "It's dinner time, c'mon. Let's get out of this dreary office and you can just relax this weekend."

Bill left, closing the door behind him to talk with Jack as Michael packed up the laptop. "Do you feel like you just conquered your fears, Syd?"

Fixing tear-filled eyes on him as she stood and picked up the half a dozen or so Kleenex scattered on the floor around the plush chair. "Honestly…I do feel better. I'm not the only one that knows about this crap now. As hard as it was to talk about, I'm glad I did it. Thank you again for helping…for listening. I mean…I know it's your job and everything, but you sure know how to make a girl feel safe – you and your dad both."

Packing his things he moved over to where she stood with a smile. "Hey…I would happily shoulder all the bad junk and leave you carefree. Unfortunately I can't – but I'm going to try my best."

A thankful tear streaked down her cheek, Michael reaching out to wipe it away with his finger. "Don't worry about a thing, okay? We'll take care of you."

They exited the office together, Michael giving father and daughter a moment alone – their first of the day.

"Did you really sit there the whole time dad? It's been eight hours." Jack wrapped his daughter in his arms, his grip squeezing the breath from her lungs as his body shook slightly.

Confused for a moment until she heard a sob, for the first time in the last few days not coming from her, she sighed. Pulling him close, she became the comforter.

"I'm sorry, Sydney, so sorry."

He'd heard it all – every story she recalled, every bit of what the man he'd given her away to had done. Anger coursed through him at first but it was replaced quickly by sadness that he hadn't been more forceful in getting his daughter away from the whole situation.

Sydney held her father as he quietly cried into her hair. Jack's larger frame didn't fit very well in her arms, though she still attempted to rub and pat his back as if he was one of her sons. "Dad, it'll be okay." Pulling away with each hand on his shoulders, she leaned into press a kiss to his forehead. "Don't break on me now, daddy, you're the stronger of us both."

He cupped her face, his thumbs wiping away tears she hadn't realized she'd shed. "You are the strongest person I've ever met, Sydney. If anyone can get through this – you can." She wasn't prepared for the intensity in his gaze, unable to avert her eyes to focus on something else since he held her in place. "I love you, Sydney and I'm so proud of you."

"Thanks dad."

Standing in a comfortable silence, they straightened up and made their way to the kitchen. The young mother's legs were quickly attacked as she leaned down, embracing both excited bundles against her chest.

Dinner was surprisingly boisterous and jovial. The entire group put the last eight hours behind them, Bill and Michael ditching their ties and overcoats and relaxing.

After dessert the men retreated to the living room, each bearing a glass of brandy as Laura decided to put the boys to bed.

"C'mon you two – time for bed."

"Momma…can you tuck us in please? I missed you all day." Jake hadn't left her leg, even while she cleaned the table up and stood at the sink to prewash the dishes.

"Of course, sweetie. You let grandma get you all ready and I'll be up in a minute to tuck you in, okay?"

Minutes passed by as she stood looking out the small window into the blackness, a soapy plate forgotten as she was lost in thought. It wasn't until someone turned the water on, taking the plate from her and beginning to rinse it, that she jumped back to the present. Michael had rolled his sleeves up, casting a smile as he offered to help with the dishes.

"Isn't this a woman's job?" Joking as she grabbed another dish, scrubbing it slowly as the young man laughed before transferring the dish into the washer.

"It's either this or listen to our dad's talk politics." His faked shudder made her laugh as they quietly washed, rinsed, and loaded up the dishwasher.

The last dish was done, Sydney washing off her hands as Michael closed the machine and leaned against the counter.

Laura broke the silence from her spot leaning against the doorframe. "The boys are ready, honey."

"How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough for you to finish the dishes so I don't have to." Winking with a laugh she poured a cup of coffee and found a seat at the counter.

"Thanks for the help," Sydney placed a hand on Michael's arm before leaving the room, tossing the wet rag onto the counter.

"Michael…I don't need to warn you about getting too close again, do I?" Laura focused a caring yet stern gaze on him, his arms crossing defensively as kept his own eyes away from the woman across the room. "I know that it's really easy to care for Sydney, she just has this way about her that drags you in. But Michael…you _can't_ get dragged in."

"I've already told you that I won't, Laura, c'mon. Give me credit."

"Oh I do. I give you credit – but I also know my daughter and I know that you are kind and caring, and she's naturally going to gravitate toward you. You're her age, she knows she can talk to you, and she knows that you're safe."

Michael nodded, not disagreeing with anything she'd said so far. _'How is it that women are this astute? That can't be fair.'_

"You know that I wouldn't do anything to make Sydney uncomfortable. Nor would I do something that would be detrimental to her case. I just…I can't help but try to put myself in their shoes. All of my clients are special, and you're right – I do have a problem distancing myself from doing whatever I can to help them get over whatever hurdle they're facing. It's just who I am…it's how I was raised."

Moving to a free seat, finding his abandoned glass of brandy on the table, he finally met her eyes. "I can't help but want to strangle him. I mean…all the bad guys in my cases – but Rick the most."

"Oh…me either. In fact, if he does show up, I'd better not be the one to answer the door. But…Michael she…I don't think she's strong enough to resist you."

"I'm not going to – "

"I know you won't _mean_ to, Michael, but you're…_you_. You're charming and nice and sweet and everything that she's been craving from her husband over the last two and a half years. Please don't spend an unnecessary amount of time with her, please. I can't fix her broken heart again."

He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as he scrunched his eyes closed. "I promise, Laura. I give you my word that my relationship with Sydney will be 100% professional."

'_I hope…'_

* * *

A/N: Well there we go! Got through the rough stuff and we'll be jumping straight into more story and character development. I'm currently without a beta (though I suppose I could send Sara an e-mail and see if she's still alive), so all mistakes you find are my own.

-Jeanie


	7. Chapter 7: Coming to Terms

A/N: This is going to be a Laura/Sydney centric chapter – a little mother daughter bonding.

Chapter 7: Coming to Terms

Sunlight streaked through the room, hitting the young woman as she tried to snuggle farther into the warmth of the comforter to escape the invasive beams. Giggling broke through the fog as she realized that she'd never get back to sleep if her children were up and ready to explore the new day.

The laughter grew closer to her closed door, a smile gracing her lips as she stretched languidly beneath the covers, intent to stay in the soft bed as long as possible, though a rumble in her stomach and a brief burst of queasiness made her grumble.

The doorknob rattled, little hands unable to open it all the way as she sat up and stretched once more, her back popping slightly. Noah creaked the door open, his little nose poking into the room first. When he saw her sitting with her focus on the slowly opening door, he giggled and pushed it wide, a loud "sup'ize!" filling the once quiet room.

Jake wasn't too far behind and Sydney could hear her mother's encouraging voice urging him on. Stepping into the room with a tray containing buttered toast and a large bowl of oatmeal, he flashed his own dimples before making his way to her bedside.

"Well, look at this!" Noah climbed up onto the bed and went straight into her arms, a wet kiss squishing against her cheek before he stuck his thumb between his lips and snuggled into her side. "What's the occasion?" Pushing away her upset stomach she cuddled her littlest boy.

"Mommy…it's your birfday. Did'ja forget?" Jake's eyes never left the tray, his tiny steps making the trek across the room much longer than usual.

Realization swept across her features as her mother laughed from the doorway, a glass of orange juice in her possession as she didn't entirely trust the five year old to carry it without staining the carpets and hard-wood floors. "You know what…I did forget. Thank you for reminding me, my boys, this is the best birthday present ever."

Taking the food from her eldest, letting him climb up to side on her other side like his brother, she munched on the toast before casting it back to the tray.

"What do you want to do today, momma?"

"You know…I think we should go into town and play on the new playground grandma was telling us about. What do you think?" Noah 'hoorayed' from his spot before standing and beginning to jump on the comforter.

Laura swept him up with tickles to his sides as she rebuked him for jumping on the bed in a way only a grandmother could, as Sydney set the tray aside, the sight of the food making her stomach feel a bit uneasy.

"But that's what you would do on _my_ birfday. What do _you_ want to do?" Jake looked up at her with piercing blue eyes, intent on doing whatever his mother wanted to do – even if it was wasn't as much fun as a playground.

Sydney smiled sweetly, cupping his chin and setting a kiss to his forehead. "I want to spend the day with my two favorite boys having fun. So, you should go get dressed and I'll get up out of this bed."

Before her sentence was even complete the boys were off, their footy pajamas scuffing across the carpet as Sydney stood, stretching for the last time as she straightened her crooked camisole and made her way over to the bureau to grab clothes.

"I don't want you going into town alone, honey." Busying herself with making her daughters bed, she felt more than saw Sydney's eyes boring into her back.

"Mom, it's been two and a half weeks. If Rick was going to show up, he would have done it already."

"You don't know that."

Heaving a sigh she made her way into the adjoining bathroom. "Mom…I…I don't want to be afraid to go outside with my kids. Why do we have to suffer and be stagnant because he decided to get a little punch happy?"

"Because he almost _killed _you Sydney. You think your father and I didn't see the fax that came from the hospital?"

Sounds from the bathroom stopped as she poked her head out and saw the tears on her mother's cheeks. "You weren't supposed to see that," she grumbled, splashing cold water onto her face in an attempt to try and cool herself off a bit, willing her stomach to settle so she could start her day.

"Whether or not, we did."

Laura flopped down on the bed with one leg folded under her lithe body as she stared at the partly closed door of the bedroom.

"Mom, if you're so worried why don't you come? Rick would have to be out of his mind to try anything with you around." Her chuckles from the bathroom made her mother laugh, knowing that her daughter was likely right.

"I'll leave a note for your father."

***

The new park wasn't crowded and the boys instantly wanted to play and touch everything. Noah journeyed into the sandbox with his big-wheeled truck and a bucket while Jake sprang into action and climbed to the top of the jungle gym and slid down the long, yellow curled slide.

"I'm proud of you, you know." Sydney turned to face her mother, the women seated on the bench overlooking the playground.

"Thanks mom. You were right you know." Seeing the confusion in Laura's eyes she continued, "about me needing to leave sooner."

"Honey, I also know that it was easy for me to _say _while it was almost impossible for you to _do_."

A comfortable silence filled the moment as she squeals of her boys wafted over. "Sometimes I wish I was as strong as you; maybe I _would_ have left earlier."

Grabbing her child's hand Laura squeezed it hard. "You're my daughter and I love you, but you don't ever give yourself enough credit."

"It's been a problem since I was a kid," Sydney laughed, shaking her head. Noah called out for her as he stood in front of the swings, so she set their light jackets on the bench and walked across to him.

"Sing!" His little smile lit up even the outdoors as she set him in the toddler seat, poking his legs through and making sure he was comfortable before giving it a gentle push.

"Ooh…me too momma!" Jake scampered off the slide and over to his family before jumping up onto the seat.

"Let's practice pumping on your own." Helping him start she reminded him to tuck his legs under and to lean forward when going backwards and the opposite when going forwards.

Jake started to get the hang of it, though his little body got tired quickly, and Laura watched from the bench as the now single mother pushed both of her boys, three different laughs filling her heart with warmth.

She couldn't keep her thoughts from wandering as she quietly folded her hands over her crossed legs, her memories floating to the previous year.

_~ Pulling up and parking in front of the small townhouse, Laura and Jack exited the car with excitement bubbling in their stomachs. Each carrying several wrapped bundles they made their way up to the front door, knocking three times._

_Their breathless daughter answered with her one-year old son on her hip and a purpling bruise on her right cheekbone._

"_Mom…dad…what…hi!" _

"_Sydney, goodness!" Dropping the gifts in the entryway Laura cupped her cheeks and examined her face. "What happened?"_

"_Oh, don't…nothing – it was an accident. A…the students were playing baseball a couple days ago and I had recess duty and got nailed. What are you two doing here you said you couldn't make it in for Noah's birthday!" Deftly changing the subject she passed the excited toddler over to her mother and accepting a large hug from her father._

"_Gammy! Papa!" Jake thundered down the steps and threw himself at his grandfather._

"_Where's Rick?"_

"_Oh, off at another job interview. He said he won't be home until late because afterwards he and his friends have their…game night. Which is basically watching football at a bar rather than in the living room."_

_They chatted into the evening as the boys played with the new toys the grandparents had given them, Sydney staring at the stack of children's clothes that now littered the table. _

"_Papa do story-time?" Jack couldn't refuse his grandson and carried him upstairs, the three-year old leaning in to give his mother and grandmother hugs and kisses before being hefted over a shoulder and tromped up the stairs._

_Laura turned serious hazel eyes on her daughter, Sydney flinching and turning away from the intensity in her mother's gaze. "Tell me how you got that bruise."_

"_Mom…I told you."_

"_I've always been able to tell when you're lying, Sydney Anne, don't think that since you're not fifteen-years old that can't do it any longer."_

_Unable to take the severity of the conversation the flustered daughter rose and began cleaning the dishes in the sink from the cake and ice cream. "Please don't mom…just accept that it was an accident and leave it, alright? Please?"_

"_Sydney you are __**smarter**__ than this!" The slump of her daughters shoulders made her soften her voice to a near whisper, "if he's beating you…you have to leave."_

"_He's not beating me! Jesus mom can't you just drop it?"_

"_You are _my_ daughter and I will not just sit by while you let this man ruin your life!"_

"_I'm not kid anymore; you can't just walk in here and assume that my life is terrible!"_

"_I'm not assuming anything with that giant bruise on your face!"_

_Sydney stopped pretending to wash the dishes as her eyes filled and spilled over, tears plopping into the water before she turned hurt and sad eyes on her mother, "I just…I don't want to leave him mom; it…it was a stupid mistake."_

_Laura desperately wanted to pull her daughter into her arms like when she was a child, but needed to accept that Sydney would live her life how she wanted, regardless of her advice. Calming down a bit she rose slowly, making her way into the kitchen where here sniffling daughter stood._

"_Honey, I…I'll trust your judgment on this one, alright? You know him better than I do. But know that I'm worried and I don't want to see you or the boys hurt in all of this. Promise me that if it happens again…you'll leave."_

_Pulling away and wiping her nose on a napkin she flashed her megawatt smile, dimples caving her cheeks in as Laura reached up and wiped her tears away with the pads of her thumbs._

"_I love you, mom."_

"_Love you too, sweetheart. If…if you need to leave you are always welcome at the house – you know that."_

_Nodding as her father walked into the room, "Jake's asleep honey, out like a light." He stopped seeing his two girls crying in the kitchen, both sets of chocolate eyes pleading with him not to say anything. ~_

Laura remembered how Jack had nearly given them both whiplash after slamming on the breaks with his desire to turn back and throw the lot of them into the vehicle – and she now regretted that she convinced him not to.

"Mom? Hellooo?"

The subject of her thoughts waving hand in front of her face brought her back from the past, the two smiles of her grandsons and the curious face of her daughter made her chuckle and wipe at the tears on her cheeks.

"Sorry, I drifted off there."

"Can we get happy meals grammy? Wiff chickie nuggs?" Laura agreed quickly, hefting Jake on her hip as the group made their way back to the car.

***

The two women tromped into the house each carrying a sleeping child. Things were quiet and they shed their shoes before carrying the boys up to their bedroom and getting them tucked in. Ten minutes later they were laughing at the kitchen table when a knock on the door pulled Sydney away, the young woman forcing her mother to sit and relax.

Tossing it open the smiling green eyes of Michael Vaughn greeted her. "Hey,"

"Hey. Can Jack come out to play?"

She giggled and moved aside letting him in. "I don't even know if he's here. Why don't you get something to drink in the kitchen and I'll check his office."

They went their separate ways, Sydney jogging up the steps and making her way into the large den. Her father sat at the large desk poring over papers, his glasses sitting low on his nose. She knocked gently when he didn't hear the door open and his focus shifted, Sydney smiling a greeting.

"Morning, sweetheart."

"It's afternoon, dad. What have you been up to all day?"

"You know…things."

"Michael's here."

"Oh good! Can you let him up?"

Sydney grinned as he went back to his paperwork. "Am I going to get a paycheck for being your assistant?"

His chuckle followed her as she retreated, skipping down the steps and reentering the kitchen. "He's up in the den, you can go on up."

Snagging a muffin from the pile sitting on the table he said his farewells and left the ladies to their chatting.

"How are you feeling?" Laura asked with concerned brown eyes on her daughter. "Your spirits seem lifted this last week."

"Emotionally? I feel better. I mean I'm pretty sure I'm still a wreck which – I hope is normal," she smiled, twisting her fingers together.

"It's normal, honey. I'm just glad that you're feeling something other than fear and sadness. You never deserved any of that, Sydney."

Nodding her agreement tears pooled in her eyes as she looked back up at the strongest woman she knew. "I'm glad I have your help to get over this…over him. I'd probably still be there if I didn't have you and dad – thank you for being my friends as well as my parents."

Laura's eyes spilled over as she pulled her little girl into her arms, the two crying into each other's hair. "Look at us – speaking of emotional wrecks,"

"I'm sorry, mom."

"For what sweetheart?"

"I didn't really realize that staying with him for so long would hurt the people around me. I…I just assumed that if I kept it secret and didn't let it leave the house that – that no one would know and you'd all be safer for it." Sydney wiped at her cheeks, guilt coursing through and settling in her stomach.

"Sydney…you can never know how you're going to react when things go wrong. Your father and I don't blame you for wanting to try and stay in your marriage or for thinking that the man you gave your heart to was deserving of a second chance."

"And a third…and a fourth…and a fifth," releasing a pained laugh at her morbid joke she propped her head up in her upturned hands, the counter cool on her arms. "I just…I'm sorry."

"Apology accepted, though not necessary."

Sitting in silence yet again, this situation beginning to be a habit between the two of them, her mother noticed the paleness of her daughter's cheeks. "Are you feeling okay? You look pale," she slipped into parent mode and placed the back of her hand to Sydney's forehead.

"I actually haven't felt that great for the last couple days – maybe it's a bug, I dunno. All I know is that food is really unappealing lately."

"I'll make you something for your stomach."

Standing and preparing a cup of peppermint tea, Sydney couldn't help but smile as her mother doted on her. She also wouldn't admit that she loved it, despite the fact that she'd always hated being coddled. Truth was, her stomach had been doing all sorts of things over the last few days and Sydney couldn't quite figure it out. The sight of food made her queasy and mid morning to early afternoon seemed to be the worst – which was always when the boys had lunch.

Laura's movements in the kitchen stopped as Sydney's eyes snapped up, realization dawning on them both simultaneously.

"Oh god…"

"Sydney … are – could you be…" Laura was interrupted by her daughter as her face fell into her hands, the words slipping through her fingers.

"Oh…please don't let me be pregnant."

***

***

A/N: Who doesn't like wrenches thrown into stuff?! I love em!

-Jeanie


	8. Chapter 8: Wrench

**Chapter 8: Wrench**

"I feel like a little kid," Sydney grumbled as she sat on the small cot in the doctor's office swinging her feet.

"I feel like an old grandmother." Laura sat across from her daughter with her legs legs crossed, an outdated magazine in her hands.

"How long does this take!" Fumbling with the strings on the cloth gown she wore she fought down another wave of queasiness as her mother laughed.

"You've already done this twice, sweetheart, it's not like you don't know what to expect."

Sydney laughed, though her smile didn't reach her eyes, and she twisted her fingers together. "It's not that, it…it's everything else around it. I mean – is it a bad thing that I'm just terrified?"

"Of course not!"

"Is it also a bad thing that I'm excited? I mean…despite the things that happened; I love my boys. And I know I'll love this baby just as much. But," she paused as her brain tried desperately to find the right words, "on top of all of this divorce stuff, therapy that dad's signing me up for, being homeless and jobless - it isn't a great time to have a baby."

"Your father is signing you up for therapy?" Laura's eyes left the magazine for the last time, closing and tossing it aside.

"Yeah, I thought you knew. It's apparently with one of his colleagues."

The look on her mother's face suggested that this was news to her, and Sydney sensed a fight between her parents in the future. The conversation ceased however when the elderly doctor knocked twice and re-entered the room, his eyes focused on the clipboard in front of him. Squinting and bringing it within a couple of inches of his nose he gingerly sat in the chair across from his patient.

To Sydney he'd seemed unchanged since the last time she saw him – administering a tetanus shot when she'd stepped on a nail during a cross country meet during her senior year of high school.

The air in the room grew thick as he lifted his glasses off of his nose and pushed the clipboard away in an attempt to read the words. "Damn glasses," he groused, deciding it was working better with them on as he readjusted them and brought the papers within inches of his nose once more. "Well…it looks like you're expecting!"

Laura sent her daughter a sympathetic smile as Sydney composed a fake one of her own to counter the ball of lead that had crushed her stomach into her guts – the small flutter of excitement in her heart by far the tiniest of the emotions she was feeling at the moment.

"Let's see…what day is it?"

Laura shrugged as Sydney tried to think back, "April 18th, I think."

"You should probably have the little bundle around mid October, from what I can reckon."

"Thanks, Dr. Herberger."

"Anything else, sugar pea?"

Sydney had to laugh at his pet name for his children patients, tears filling her eyes as she shook her head, the oblivious old man leaving the room so she could get dressed in private.

"Well…I suppose it's not a bad thing that all my clothes didn't come with me – they wouldn't fit in two months anyway."

She dressed slowly, Laura handing her each article of clothing as she heaved a sigh and faced her mother with unsure brown eyes. "Everything's going to be okay, right?"

Flashing her biggest and most reassuring smile she cupped Sydney's cheeks and pushed a kiss to her forehead, tears filling her own eyes and contradicting her assured front. "You'll be fine, sweetheart."

They left the office and jumped in the car, Laura seeing Sydney zone out as she stared at the scenery. She didn't even notice when they passed the road that would take them back home, instead taking the main road into town. When the car stopped moving she seemed to snap out of it, slightly embarrassed that she didn't realize they weren't going home. Her eyes peeked up at the shop they'd parked in front of: "Little Bo Peeps" in big letters on the front window.

"Mom…"

"We're going shopping. Because despite it all, you're my daughter and you're having a baby - my grandbaby. We're going shopping, and that's final."

She could help but give a true smile, one of the first in the last few days, as tears fell to her dimpled cheeks. "Really?"

"Like you said – you'll love this baby despite its father. And I must start early when spoiling my grandchildren."

An hour later Sydney stood in the newborn section, a small smile curling her lips up as she fingered a pair of tiny shoes. Her mother finally found her, the cart in front laden with all sorts of baby items, as well as a few things a mother would need.

Sydney rolled her eyes and dropped her hands to her side, "mom, really? You've got another seven months to wait and you're already decorating a room and buying clothes that would fit a two-year old?"

Laura merely ignored her daughter, "what have you found?"

"I was just thinking...what is it going to be? Boy or girl?"

"What do you want it to be?"

"I love my boys but I don't know if I could handle a third one." Her mother laughed at her comment, nodding in agreement about her grandsons.

"I wouldn't mind seeing a little princess sit on your father's lap like when you were a baby."

Nodding in agreement Laura pulled several pink onesies and tossed them in the cart. "But we don't know what it's going to be,"

"So what!" Interrupting Sydney with a flip of her hand she focused her eyes on the young woman in front of her. "Honey…get excited!"

"I am…I…I really am."

"Good! Then go crazy! I have your father's credit card."

They laughed as they continued to shop, Laura knowing that Jack would throw a fit at their shopping spree until she'd distract him with an infant's outfit. Much like hers, his heart melts at the thought of their grandchildren, and this addition to the family wouldn't be any different.

***

The evening was spent in the sitting room. The crackle of the fire a pleasant noise as Laura sat with a book, her legs tucked under her body and her glasses low on her nose. Sydney sat with her eyes closed and hand rubbing the warm back of little Noah as he lay draped on her chest, his thumb tucked firmly between his lips and his nose pushed against her throat. With her feet propped up on the stool he fit perfectly against her body, his little sigh making her smile.

"You should put him to bed honey,"

"I know but he's so cuddly. Pretty soon he won't want anything to do with cuddles and be chasing after girls."

Laura laughed, pulling away from her book to fix a wry look on her daughter. "He's two, Sydney. The only girls he likes are you and me."

Sighing and standing, his little mumble the only noise, Sydney carried him up to the boy's bedroom and found Jake sitting underneath the covers, light silhouetting his figure from inside. When he heard the door the light quickly shut off, but she'd seen him already.

"Who's in my little boy's bed?"

Pulling the covers back she spotted him sitting with a flashlight and a glow in the dark book, something no doubt that her mother had picked up today. "I was just reading, momma."

"Really? Aren't you supposed to be sleeping? Didn't papa tuck you in?"

At his little grin she knew the five-year old had faked Jack out, waiting until his grandfather had left the room before beginning his little under-the-covers reading session. "I maybe tricked him."

"Maybe?" Laughing as she finished getting Noah's pajamas on and tucking him in, she moved to sit by her eldest. "It's okay with me honey, it's not a school night."

"Am I going to school where you did?"

Sydney shrugged, not actually knowing where they would be if she decided to start him back up at a public school. "I dunno, honey. For now you're going to have me as your teacher."

He nodded, holding his book up as she kissed his forehead and flipped on his flashlight. "Try not to shine it on your brother, okay? I'll check in before I go to bed."

Jake scurried back underneath his blanket, the flashlight coming on for a moment before turning off, Sydney closing the bedroom door and making her way back downstairs.

She heard the arguing before entering the room, wondering if she should go back in at all to give her parents privacy for their little quarrel.

"You can't just force her into therapy, Jack, you know that! I don't think she's ready for it."

"Laura, I didn't inform you of my decision because I felt you would react poorly. She _needs_ it – whether or not you think she's ready for it."

"Poorly…of course I reacted poorly! Here I was sitting with my daughter when she drops the 'therapy bomb' onto my lap."

"She agreed to it…isn't that enough? She _wants _to get better – and I know that you want her to move on just like I do. The therapy will help with that more than we know."

Silence reigned, her mother heaving a sigh as Sydney knocked on the wall before entering. "Hey…I – if I could just say something, and don't take it wrong mom – but dad's right. The sooner I get over this, the better. Besides, it's a group therapy thing and it's only eight weeks."

"Thank you, Sydney."

"You should have told mom what you were up to though dad. You shouldn't have just left it to me to surprise her with it." Casting a scolding look at her father, he blushed a bit before looking over at his wife.

"Forgiveness?"

"Granted," she mumbled, still miffed at him slightly for keeping her out of the loop, but she leaned forward and kissed his cheek anyway. "We have a surprise for you."

Sydney was worried about how her father would react to the news, but once he saw the credit card bill he'd need to be told regardless, so she waited patiently while her mother walked from the room, Jack setting aside his glass of brandy and his book.

"What is it?"

"If I told you-"

"-it wouldn't be a surprise," they finished simultaneously, Sydney laughing and Jack rolling his eyes, Laura reentering with a small wrapped package in her hands.

"What have you two been up to?" Casting a wary glance at his two girls, each displaying varying degrees of excitement and anticipation in their matching brown eyes, he unwrapped the present slowly and carefully.

His large hands dwarfed the tiny outfit, the pink standing out in the dimly lit room as the bold text on the front made his eyes water: "Grandpa's Little Angel".

"Sydney…are - are you having another baby?"

She nodded with tears in her own eyes, a tingling of fear etching its way into her heart and mind. "Sweetheart…that's _wonderful_."

She released a strangled sob as he stood quickly and engulfed her in his arms and against his chest. "You mean it?"

"Of course! You are keeping it, right?"

"Of course." Repeating his statement in his ear they pulled away, Jack cupping her cheek and using his thumb to wipe at the tears, he looked down at the outfit in his hand. "You really think it'll be a girl?"

"I hope so. I'm done with boys."

The small family shared a laugh, Laura breaking the news of their shopping spree to her husband. As she predicted he didn't care, waving it off as 'a small price for his newest grandchild'. The discussion moved to names, Sydney heaving a sigh and reminding her parents once again that it'd be at least three months before they figured out what it was and another seven until they met their grandchild.

"You'd think that I hadn't give you grandkids yet," she laughed and reclined, sipping on the tea her mother had made.

"It's not unnatural for us to be this excited. You remember when you told us about Jake? Oh, your mother and I went and nearly bought that place out of any and every boy item they had."

The group was content and silent, Jack and Laura sipping their drinks and looking at the fire while Sydney's mind wandered to the day she first learned about her pregnancy with Jake – the day she told Rick he was going to be a father.

_~Rick woke to a strange noise groggy from sleep as he tried to decipher the numbers on the alarm clock. '3:00AM', he thought, hearing the retching once more and pushing himself up and out of bed._

_He knocked gently on the bathroom door, hearing Sydney toss him a weak, "what?"_

"_You okay?" Opening it and walking in he spotted her kneeling in front of the toilet with a pale face and watery eyes. "Honey…are you sick?"_

"_I…I think I'm pregnant."_

"_What?"_

_Nodding she clutched her stomach again before clambering to the bowl and throwing up again, Rick kneeling behind her and pulling the loose strands of brown hair away from her face. He let her finish, handing her a washcloth, accepting her full weight when she slouched against him. He smiled and pressed a kiss to her temple, his wife pointing up at the counter where a small pregnancy test sat._

"_Grab that, would'ja?"_

_He chuckled, a ball of excitement expanding from his stomach throughout his body as he reached up and handed her the stick. She wiped at her eyes and sniffled a bit, the test confirming that she was indeed pregnant._

"_We're having a baby, Rick."_

_They shared a heartfelt smile, Sydney's dimples caving in her cheeks as Rick's own lit up the room. "That's great, honey! I can't wait to tell everyone."_

_Helping her up and patiently waiting for her to catch her balance, he kept his hands at her hips while she brushed her teeth, unable to keep his fingers from tracing her flat stomach._

_She spun in his arms, her own wrapping around his shoulders, "You're really excited?"_

_Rick's answer was a smile and a sweet kiss. "I don't think I've ever been excited about anything more than this Sydney…it's…amazing."~_

His excitement didn't dissipate either. Rick's involvement in everything from breathing classes to shopping and picking out maternity clothes to reading nearly every parenting book the library carried still couldn't prepare him for the day he met his son, the tall man passing out in the delivery room after cutting the cord.

A sad smile crossed her lips and she sighed, focusing once more on her parents and finding them staring at her with concerned and understanding eyes.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

"I…I was thinking about the time Rick and I found out about Jake."

"A happy memory?"

Nodding with a small smile she wasn't entirely prepared for her father's next statement. "Cherish those, sweetheart. Even though he became a man so different from the one you married don't ever get rid of the good memories. Don't forget that he _used_ to be a good man."

"Yeah," she sighed, realizing that Jack was right. Rick may have become a person she didn't know – didn't care to know – but at one point he'd been her husband and the father of her children.

'_Maybe some memories aren't that bad.'_

***

***

A/N: Alrighty! So, Sydney's having a baby! Part one of my evil plan; part two is coming soon. Mwa ha ha ha.

Read and review!!

-Jeanie


	9. Chapter 9: Careening

A/N: We're gonna Alias this one UP! (Sort of...) There are some curse words thrown around in this chapter! Just as a warning!

*** 

**Chapter 9: Careening**

Michael's hands ran over her back, tangling in her shoulder length hair as their mouths melded together. He couldn't hold in his moan as her tongue slid against his and he could taste the wine she'd been drinking mixing with the sting of the bourbon he'd just finished off. 

Sydney's hands weren't idle while Vaughn's massaged at the loosening muscles of her back, her own finding their way past the barrier that was his button-up oxford. Splaying her fingers over his chest, the warmth beneath her fingers seeping in, she felt his lips leave hers and move down her jaw to the column of her throat.

Sucking at the spot between her shoulder and neck she focused on the remaining buttons of his shirt, tugging it out of its semi-tucked in orientation and forcing it back over his shoulders. He released her for a moment to toss it off behind them, the room swaying as he shook his head – the small voice trying desperately to tell him to stop.

Michael continued to ignore it, his fingers skirting the hem of her t-shirt as he kissed his way across her collarbones and back up to her pouted lips. Their tongues dueled once more as he began lifting her shirt up, the voice getting louder and louder as it finally became his own: 

_"I promise, Laura. I give you my word that my relationship with Sydney will be 100% professional."_

The thought was like ice to his libido, and though he couldn't hide the bulge in his trousers, he did have to put distance between himself and the shocked young woman he'd abruptly pushed away. 

"Sydney…we…we can't do this."

*** 

_**~One Week Earlier~**_

Sydney slouched on the floor of the bathroom, her stomach emptied of the water she'd been trying to keep down. Willing her queasiness to dissipate she pulled her thighs up to her chest and squeezed them together with her arms. Resting her forehead on her knees she grunted in response to a knock on the door. 

"You okay, sweetheart?" Jack's head was the only thing visible, his eyes taking in the slump of his tired daughter's shoulders and the tainted water in the toilet. "Was it this bad with the other two?" 

"I think I'm just prone to really bad morning sickness. It's my curse," she groaned, her face still hidden against the fabric of her pajama pants which muffled her voice.

"C'mon, I'll make you some peppermint tea."

Helping her off the floor after flushing the toilet he closed the lid and moved her to sit on it, handing her a glass of water and a swallow of mouthwash. "Your mother had terrible morning sickness with you, you know." 

"Really?" 

"Indeed. Starting at around eight in the morning and lasting all day for the first three months. It was the only time during the pregnancy where 'regret' and 'your fault' were spoken abundantly." 

Sydney couldn't help but laugh before swirling the mouthwash around her teeth and tongue and standing to rinse in the sink. They made their way downstairs, her eyes coming to rest on the old wooden clock in the foyer: 3:25AM. 

"What are you doing up this late?" 

"More like early. I couldn't sleep so I decided to work on some of your issues with credit cards, house payments etcetera." 

Nodding understanding she slid onto the barstool seat and flopped her head down on crossed arms over the counter. "I just wish I didn't get sick at three in the morning. None of my kids share my concept of 'morning'." 

Jack laughed as he set the kettle on the stove, Sydney lifting her head and fixing him with worried eyes. "Should we be concerned that we sent Rick the divorce papers two weeks ago and haven't heard anything?" 

"At least he stopped calling," 

"Nice try dad. Should we?" 

Her father sighed, the screaming kettle giving him a chance to collect his thoughts as he opened up the cupboard and retrieved a mug and a tea bag. "It could mean that he's not willing to sign the papers." 

"Does...does that mean that I can't get divorced?" 

Jack shrugged, "I don't know, Sydney. Michael and Bill are coming over tomorrow - hopefully they'll have more answers for you than I do." Stirring in a teaspoon of sugar he slid the cup across and stepped back, leaning against the counter and folding his arms over his chest. His comfortable red terrycloth robe was tied to his waist, the ends frayed as Sydney smiled, remembering when she purchased it for him as a birthday present over ten years ago. 

They stayed quiet, Sydney sipping on the tea and thanking her mother for keeping the peppermint in stock as it really was working to calm her stomach down. _'For now,'_ she thought. 

"Well, get back to bed, sweetheart. I'll see you in the morning," he muttered through a yawn, leaning in and pressing a kiss to her forehead before leaving the room.

Heaving a sigh she finished her tea, taking it over to the sink and rinsing it out. Deciding to wash the rest of the dishes that were left there from dinner she loaded up the dishwasher. Spotting crumbs near the toaster she grabbed a paper towel and the spray cleaner before tackling the counters, wiping them all off until the lemony scent of the cleaner wafted through the room.

Fatigue set in, Sydney flipping off the lights and trudging back upstairs to her room. Falling into bed and curling under the covers she passed out.

***

Laura answered the door a few minutes after the ring, a smile on her face as she greeted the two lawyers. They were dressed casually, Michael wearing a pair of slacks and a green button up shirt while his father stood in a pair of jeans and a sweater.

"Come on in, we were just getting breakfast on the table."

Bill led the way, leaving his briefcase in the foyer and clapped his hands together in anticipation. "We always show up at the right time, don't we?"

Jack greeted them as Jake ran into the room flying an airplane and making buzzing noises with his mouth. "Hi, Michael!" After his greeting he was gone again, the sound of his plane noises wafting back from the other room.

They ate quietly, the Vaughn's noticing that Sydney was absent but understanding when Laura said she hadn't been feeling too well and as such hadn't gotten much sleep.

"I'll go see if she's up if you boys would like to do the dishes," she suggested, tossing her hands up as Bill and Jack regarded her with stares that said 'you're kidding, right?'

"I'll clean up, Laura," Michael laughed, standing and gathering the dishes from the pancakes, eggs, and sausage they consumed.

They all heard the "good boy" she'd tossed from the foyer, Bill and Jack escaping to the den as Jake watched the man with big blue eyes. He hadn't gotten up like his brother, scampering off to do heaven knows what, just staying at the table with curiosity written in his face.

"You don't have to stay here, Jake, you can go play if you want."

"You need help?"

Vaughn grinned and waved him over, kicking the little stool in place as the smiling boy jumped up and stuck his hands in the soapy water. "That's too hot for me," his little complaint was coupled by him yanking his hand back, Michael apologizing and adding a bit more cold water into the mix until his little fingers could handle the temperature.

"Alrighty, we need to get these dishes cleaned up a bit to put them in the washer. You want to use the sprayer to rinse them off?" At his avid nod they began, falling into the routine of Michael using the scrubber to get the plates mostly clean before holding it and letting the five-year old spray the soap away with a laugh.

Noah ran into the room chasing a large-wheeled truck and, spotting his brother helping Michael, he immediately wanted to help as well. The young lawyer put the toddler to work; handing him the rinsed silverware – minus the knives - and letting him put them in the dishwasher. They worked as a team until the items got too big for the two-year old to ferry, a small fit being thrown when Michael stopped letting him help.

"Ummm…it's too heavy, Noah. Why don't you help _me_ carry it over?"

The tears were immediately gone as his little hands joined Vaughn's on the pan, carrying it to the dishwasher and fitting it in. He clapped his little hands and picked his truck back up, distraction setting in though he stayed in the room with his brother and new friend.

"The cups don't _look_ dirty," Jake commented, seeing the shine of the glass as all the juice had been rinsed out.

"You know, you're right. I think we can put them away when we're done."

He smiled, setting the hose down for a minute to wipe his wet hands on his overalls, Michael holding up the last dish for him to rinse. Grabbing the sprayer he squeezed it, realizing all too late that he was holding it sideways. The spray went straight up and into Michael's face, soaking his shirt and forcing him to drop the dish in the sink as he attempted to divert the water until it stopped.

Wiping his eyes he looked down at the boy, expecting to see his blue eyes dancing and a large smile on his dimpled cheeks. Instead saw a terrified child with tears filling and spilling from his eyes. His only thought, only idea, was to laugh.

Mostly because it _was_ a funny situation. He laughed out loud and looked at his shirt, the garment soaked through and a shade darker than before. Jake looked confused for a minute until a small smile spread his lips and he looked at the nozzle in his hands. Laughter meant that the man wasn't angry and that he wasn't in trouble. Relief washed over his tiny body as he began to giggle, the laughing growing as he set down the sprayer and picked up the dish, setting it in with the others.

"Sorry," he giggled, Michael waving it off with another chuckle as a thump and a scream filled the room. Vaughn's eyes flew to Noah, who had apparently abandoned the truck – again – to help with the dishes some more. A mug now lay on the floor, thankfully not broken, and two chubby hands covered his face as he cried.

He heard footfall, hoping it was either Sydney or Laura since he didn't quite know what to do in this situation, but reacted by quickly making his way over to where Noah was standing. "Oh, buddy, you okay?"

Lifting him up the boy threw his arms around Michael's neck and buried his face in his wet shirt. "Let me see, pal,"

A muffled and strangled, "no," filled his ear along with another screaming cry as Jack hustled into the kitchen. "What happened?"

"I think he was reaching for a cup and it fell and knocked him, but I can't see where."

Explaining over the cries of the infant Michael was instantly relieved to see Laura reenter. "Goodness…I leave you all for a few minutes and look at what happened." Jake stood in front of Michael, his hand reaching as high as he could to pat his brother's leg in an attempt to make the toddler feel better.

Noah kept his grip firmly on the younger Vaughn, refusing to lift his head even for his grandmother. "Owie!"

"Can I see your owie, darling?" The grandmotherly voice soothed even Michael, his heart racing and guilt bubbling up as he realized he should have been paying closer attention to the boy.

"No…hurts!" Burrowing farther into Michael's shirt, his large hand rubbing circles over his back, Noah cried.

"What's going on?" At the sound of his mother's voice he pulled away and reached for her, a large knot swelling above his eye and a smear of blood on his eyebrow. The blunt crease behind the blond hair was stained red as another drop plopped down to his chubby cheek. "Oh…honey," she cooed, pulling him up and cupping his chin to get a closer look at his eye.

"Sorry, Syd, he just…needed more eyes than I had I suppose."

She sent Michael a comforting smile before carrying the crying boy upstairs to the large bathroom she'd spent most of the morning in.

Jake tugged at Michael's wet shirt, "is my brother okay?"

"Oh, he'll be fine pal. Why don't you go play and he'll be back down soon." Needing no further encouragement Jake moved off, grabbing his airplane, before buzzing out of the room.

Laura fixed laughing eyes on the young, green-eyed man, Vaughn following her gaze to his haggard appearance. "Never let him be the one to rinse the plates off," his pointing finger followed the five-year old zipping away, Jack slapping him on the shoulder and explaining that he'd been victim to Noah doing the same thing two days ago with the garden hose.

Sharing a laugh Laura left to find her uninjured grandson as Jack offered to find Michael a replacement shirt, two of them heading up the stairs. They could hear the sniffles and soft sobs from the open bathroom, Michael peeking in and seeing Sydney placing a butterfly Band-Aid over the little boy's injury.

"How's he doin'?"

"Oh, he's okay. He has a scar on the top of his head from doing the same thing last year. I'm starting to think this kid is a walking black hole – sucking things off of counters and onto his face."

He laughed, Jack handing him a t-shirt. "Why are you all wet?" Sydney questioned, Michael rolling his eyes with a dimpled smile as Noah stuck his thumb in his mouth and waved at the man from his seat next to the sink.

"Your son attacked me with the kitchen sprayer."

"You gave it to him?"

"Hey…they're not my _kids_!"

He shook his head at her laugh, Noah even smiling through his crocodile tears as Sydney finished, placing a gentle kiss above the injury and lifting him up on her hip before leaving the bathroom and flipping off the light.

A slight bout of queasiness hit her, her face paling and she stopped in the doorway to take a deep breath.

"Woah…you okay?"

"Yeah…just…not feeling too good lately." She collected herself and flashed him a smile, chuckling once more at his soggy shirt. "Go change your shirt. Now you know to never trust either of my sons with a hose."

Agreeing he patted Noah's back and entered the bathroom behind her.

***

"We're running into a bit of a glitch here, Sydney," Bill said peering through his glasses at a letter he pulled out of his briefcase.

"He's apparently found a pro bono lawyer to help him and his letter says that he won't agree to anything unless you meet him face to face."

She paled and shook her head, "I can't do that."

"We're trying to work around it, but there might not be a choice here. If you want a divorce you might have to. Now there are things in this letter from the lawyer that…point to Rick making you out as the bad guy. Kidnapping is mentioned – don't worry, alright? The evidence is on _our_ side, trust me on that one. Michael has agreed to meet with Rick and his lawyer before we even consider taking you out there."

Sydney bit at the nail of her thumb, her other hand tucking the hair behind her ear. "I thought you said this would be easy?"

Michael sent her a smile, Bill chuckling a bit. "Nothing is ever easy, Sydney, but we were hoping that he'd just agree to everything and be done with it. However, now that we know that isn't the case we'll deal with it. I didn't want to make you worry but I did want you to be informed about the situation."

"When are you meeting with them?"

"Tomorrow afternoon, I fly out tonight to get things prepared. If the lawyer knows what's good for him he'll drop this case after seeing what Rick was _actually_ like. We're not relying on 'he said she said' here, Syd, we're going for the killing blow – as it were."

The young woman agreed with a nod, Jack interrupting as he entered with a knock. "Am I allowed in for this one?"

"Of course, Jack. We were just filling Sydney in." Bill peered down at his watch, seeing Michael do the same. "Well, we should get going. We'll call you in a couple days and let you know how it goes, alright?"

"Okay. Hey…be careful, Michael. Not…not that I don't think you can't take him out – just – be careful."

"Don't worry about me, worry about him." She laughed as they excused themselves, Jack taking up the elder Vaughn's seat.

"You okay?"

She shrugged and hung her head, forehead in her palms. "I don't know why I thought he'd make it easy,"

"Sweetheart, he won't be able to convince a single person that he deserves to you have you or the boys in his life. You know that."

She nodded, flashing a genuine smile when Laura walked into the room holding a sniffling Noah. Pushing away from his grandmother he settled onto Sydney's lap and cuddled into her chest, a rather large bruise beginning to form on his forehead.

"Let's just continue with our week, alright? Michael will take care of Rick and his lawyer, trust me. He's like a little bulldog."

"I'd love to see it if I wasn't such a wimp."

"Facing someone that abused you so much would be hard for anyone, honey. You'll have your moment, alright?"

'_I'd still love to be there…'_ she thought as she pressed a kiss to the top of Noah's head.

***

**~24 hours later~**

"You must be Michael Vaughn; Stanley Fuller." A tall young man stuck his hand out as Michael entered the room, taking it quickly and setting his briefcase down.

The second his eyes fell on Rick he had to push down the urge to punch him in the nose. He sat in an old t-shirt, tattered at the ends with holes littering the front of it. His hair was disheveled and Vaughn couldn't help but see similarities between the man and little Jake despite his haggard appearance and the scruffy beard on his face.

'_Jake's the best thing to came from this monster. He'll never become the man his father did, that's for sure.'_

"Good afternoon, thank you for agreeing to meet with me."

"Where's Mrs. Montgomery?"

"Ms. Bristow is still at her parent's home. I asked for this meeting without her to ascertain your intentions."

"I didn't agree to this – I said I'd do this sh*t if Sydney was here."

"Why don't we talk about Ms. Bristow for a moment, hmm?" Michael opened his case and lifted up a manila folder marked 'Angels Mercy'. "I read the letter that Mr. Fuller prepared and I realized that you had left out a few details; most likely by mistake. So, lucky for you, I remembered them."

"Mr. Vaughn, the simple fact is that Mrs. Montgomery kidnapped my client's children in the middle of the night. Coupled with stealing his credit cards I don't think that my accusations in the letter were unwarranted."

"The hard fact, Mr. Fuller, is that Sydney Bristow ran away from Mr. Montgomery because of nights spent like this," tossing the full color photo across the table toward the lawyer, whose eyes immediately flew to the man sitting beside him, he couldn't help but feel a pang of excitement in his chest. "I take it that these kinds of things were left out of Mr. Montgomery's statement, eh?"

"Would you give me a moment alone with my client, please?"

Michael agreed, snapping his case closed and exiting quietly.

"What the hell do these photos mean, Richard?"

"It was a car accident. I gave you pictures of the car! Ask anyone,"

"She was in the car? Why didn't you tell me that?"

Rick shrugged as the lawyer met his gaze with piercing hazel eyes. "You will tell me the truth from here on out. I'm doing this as a favor to a friend who assured me that you were wronged in this whole situation. If I find out that you are a batterer of women and children you will have more than just a divorce case on your hands."

Rick shrunk under the man's glare, watching as he readmitted Sydney's representation.

"My client assures me and says I can call several people on this list for the evidence that this…trauma on Mrs. Montgomery was from a car accident. I have here photographs of the wrecked car as well as a statement from a Rebecca David, the children's babysitter and Mrs. Montgomery's long-time friend confirming the accident."

"Well I have Sydney Bristow's statement as well as the log from the paramedics that recorded Sydney's removal from her _home_, not a wrecked vehicle. Oh…I also have the recording of the 9-11 phone call made by a frantic five-year old little boy that found his unconscious mother on the floor of their living room having been beaten by a drunken husband with a baseball bat." His fierce green eyes pinned Rick to his seat, the lawyer sighing and leaning back in his chair.

"Not convinced that your client is in the wrong here? Let me make it…abundantly clear for you." Tossing them both a photo of Jake, the cell phone image not pristine but not grainy enough to miss the large bruised welt along his cheek. "You beat your own son…this precious little boy…with your belt."

Rage filled Rick's eyes as he rose quickly, knocking the chair back to the floor. "Hey, f*ck you man! You have no idea what it's like with those little brats running around all day and a wife that doesn't just let you live your life. Always fucking nagging me that b*tch!"

Mr. Fuller rose, collected his papers and sent a scathing glare at the outburst from the man he'd agreed to defend. "Good luck, Mr. Montgomery." Turning his face to Michael he reached out and shook the young man's hand, "take everything he's got."

With that Rick was alone; his arms flopped down to his sides as Michael began gathering his papers together.

"I should have known that she'd run to her daddy. There's no way in _hell_ that f*cking b*tch could afford you."

Vaughn fought the anger rising in his chest, forcing himself to continue putting away his papers. "I would have helped her for free if it meant getting her away from you."

"You tell her that unless she gets her ass back over here that she can kiss this divorce goodbye. I'll only sign it if _she_ comes to _me_."

"Listen to me you son of a b*tch, I'm not telling her anything. You sign the papers or I will nail your ass to the wall. I have enough evidence against you to put you in prison for ten years where you can learn what it's _like_ to become someone punching bag."

"F*ck you."

"Sign the papers. You'll never get her back, just let her go."

"She needs to look me in the eye and _tell me_ that she wants this sh*t over."

Michael shook his head as he turned, Rick's words freezing him in his tracks.

"I'll go to her if she won't come to me."

Vaughn set his briefcase down and turned protective green eyes on the angry man across from him. "If you go near her, or the children, you won't have time to regret it."

"What…a restraining order?" Rick scoffed, moving around the table to square off with the lawyer. "I've gotten around those before. Tell her that I can't _wait_ to see her."

The punch was thrown before Michael could think, his body going into automatic as he sucked in heavy breaths over the prone, bleeding figure at his feet. "If you have any brains, you'll stay down."

Grabbing his case and straightening his jacket he paused with a hand on the knob chancing one more look at the broken-nosed man. "Sign the damn papers tomorrow or you _will_ be seeing me again…understand?"

Without waiting for an answer he left.

***

***

A/N: I know…you're probably all like "Jean…what the hell was with the beginning?!". All I have to say is mwa. Mwa ha ha.

-Jeanie


	10. Chapter 10: Day 2

**Chapter 10: Day 2**

Sydney was startled by a knock at the door. Soft though it was she heard it from the kitchen and left her warm cup of peppermint tea to enter the foyer and look through the peep hole. Not knowing what to expect made her all the more surprised to see a tired Michael Vaughn standing absent any light on the front porch. Unlocking the door and opening it slowly she fixed him with worried eyes.

"What are you doing here?"

"Look, I'm sorry to come by so early – or…late," he groused realizing he had paid less attention to the time than he'd thought after seeing that it was two-thirty in the morning. "I had to get you these papers."

She waved him in and led him to the kitchen. "Would you like some tea?"

"Something stronger if you've got it handy."

She grinned as he slid onto the stool she'd vacated, smelling the mint of the tea. "Peppermint, huh? My mom would make that for me all the time when I had an upset stomach as a kid."

"That's kind of why I'm drinking it. I'm trying to con my stomach into letting me sleep the rest of the night."

"Sorry you're not feeling well, Syd. That sucks especially when you've got all this other crap going on,"

"This time isn't so bad, it was _way_ worse with Noah."

"What?"

She turned and spotted the confusion, his green eyes going wide when he realized what she was talking about. "Holy shit, Sydney. You're not pregnant are you?"

Laughing and rejoining him at the counter she nodded. "That was my reaction too when I figured it out. But…you know what – I'm actually pretty excited."

"I just spent the afternoon with Rick and ended up punching him in the nose! How could you have sex with that guy?" _'Well that was about the worst thing in the world to say, Jesus Michael!' _"Woah…I'm sorry. I…I shouldn't have said that, that was way out of line."

"No I…I know exactly what you mean. But it was the one time that I wasn't getting hit, you know?" He nodded slowly flashing an apologetic smile in an attempt to rid the thought from his mind.

"I just…wow…hadn't thought of that curve ball."

Fisting the glass of bourbon she'd handed him he took a long gulp, the alcohol burning his throat as it went down.

"You…you really punched him in the nose?"

Michael laughed and showed her his bruised knuckles. "Yep. After his lawyer left of course. He deserved it, Syd."

"I have no doubt."

She spied the fatigue and the slump of his shoulders, the bags under his eyes telling her that he'd been getting about as much sleep as her.

"Michael, you could have waited until tomorrow for this stuff. You should go home and get some sleep."

Taking another strong sip he shook his head, reaching into his jacket pocket and pulling out a blue piece of paper folded up around several others. "I've been working for the last three hours on getting this damn thing approved and signed by a judge – which they didn't appreciate, but I had to do it. It's a restraining order, alright?"

"Is this the result of the punch in the nose?"

"Oh no…the meeting went remarkably well. After showing the evidence that he was an abuser his pro bono lawyer told me to, quote, 'take everything he's got'. There were…just some things he'd said that made me want to get this done quick."

She took the papers from with one hand while taking a sip of her tea to quell her stomach with the other. "What do I need to do?"

"I've got some things for you to sign if you could, and then I'll just get out of your hair."

They moved into the living room and flopped down on the couch. "Self explanatory?"

"Yep – just sign where it says."

She read through bits and pieces, realizing that this was mostly just about her being aware that she had a restraining order against Rick. _'Probably to cover myself an extra little bit just in case.'_ Finishing up she lifted her head and found her companion sleeping soundly on the couch beside her.

"Michael…" Rubbing his shoulder he roused slowly, Sydney pulling him off the couch and leading him up the stairs and to the guest room, her hands on his shoulders driving him all the way over to the bed.

He sat him down on the edge of the bed, his eyes drooping as his head bobbed up and down. He dimly felt her hands unbuttoning his jacket and sliding it down his arms until it was gone. Deftly she undid his oxford as well and removed it much the same way.

"I'll leave you to the belt, stay with me okay? This could get awkward for one of us if you fall asleep too early."

He mumbled something that vaguely sounded like 'I got it' before fumbling around until his belt was undone. She slid his feet out of the business shoes and tossed them aside, helping him stand as he struggled with his trousers.

"I'm supposed to be helping _you_ out," he drawled, Sydney laughing as she gripped him by his upper arms, the muscles rippling below her hands as he succeeded in the removal of his pants feeling them drop around his socked feet.

'_I didn't even think to ask if he was wearing any underwear. I mean…why wouldn't he? But still…I probably should have asked.'_

"Good thing I wore underwear today, huh?"

She laughed out loud as his words echoed her thoughts, her arms pushing him back onto the bed and pulling the blankets up over him. "You've taken care of me plenty, it's my turn now."

"G'nite, Syd." He was already asleep when he spoke, Sydney taking a moment to brush a strand of flyaway blond hair from his forehead.

"Nite, Michael."

Tucking him in and hitting the lights she exited the room to see her mother standing with rumpled pajamas and hair and a curious look on her face.

"Michael brought by a restraining order – apparently Rick made some threats. He wanted to make sure I had it before tomorrow."

Laura merely cocked an eyebrow and glanced at the newly closed door of the guest bedroom. "God, mother. Really? He fell asleep on the couch while I was signing some papers and I brought him up here."

Squinting her eyes in a half scowl she turned and went back to bed, Sydney rolling her eyes before making her way downstairs and cleaning up the kitchen. Flipping off the lights she went back to bed, her stomach remarkably sound.

Giggling brought Vaughn out of his slumber slowly, his mind vaguely remembering the previous day and night. His last memory was Sydney and he couldn't stop the small smile that graced his lips at the thought of her tucking him in as if he was one of her sons.

Another bout of laughter made him realize that he wasn't alone. Cracking one eye open he saw two blond heads drop down to hide beside the bed, his eye lids feeling a bit like sandpaper.

"Alright…who's hiding by my bed?"

"Get him!" Jake hollered before vaulting onto the bed, Michael sitting up and catching his flailing legs before a foot landed somewhere unwanted. Helping Noah up as well the wrestling match started. Tickles created giggles and pillows were tossed about, the fun stopping at Sydney's voice.

"I thought I told you two not to go in here!"

"Nah, that's okay, Syd. I should probably get up and get out of here anyway," he muttered, the boys breathing heavily, strewn about over his legs and lap.

"Come play momma!" Noah beckoned her, the adults sharing a laugh.

"C'mon – grandma's making breakfast. You're welcome to join us, Michael."

Grabbing them off the bed and leading them from the room, Vaughn couldn't help but grin as he rose and dressed, sneaking into the bathroom to wash up a bit. Running a hand through his disheveled hair he clicked his tongue and shook his head knowing that it would be a bed-head kind of day.

Jogging down the steps he entered the kitchen with a smile. "Hey, thanks for letting me crash here last night. The plane ride back and running around getting that restraining order all taken care of zapped me."

"Perfectly fine, Michael, you know you're always welcome here if needed." Jack passed him a plate as they sat down to eat.

Halfway through breakfast Sydney's cell phone rang, the room getting quiet.

"Syd, if it's Rick, just hang up. Don't even talk to him – he's not supposed to be contacting you in any way."

"Hello?" There was a brief silence on the phone before a woman's voice filled the other end.

"Hello. Is this Mrs. Montgomery?"

"Yes it is…may I ask who's calling?"

"Ma'am my name is Charolette and I'm a nurse at Angel of Mercy. I'm afraid I have some bad news."

Noah began throwing a fit, Sydney rising and leaving the room quickly to catch the last part of the woman's sentence. "What's the bad news?"

"Your husband was in a traffic accident early this morning – his injuries are very severe. The doctors don't think he has much time left. I am so sorry."

Sydney felt as if the air was sucked from her lungs, but she couldn't quite put a finger on the emotion most present. Sadness was currently in the lead. While she had slowly been falling out of love with him for over a year, she couldn't help but think about the times when he had been a good husband and a loving father.

"Umm…how – uh – how long do they think?"

"A day at the most. His liver is failing quite rapidly as are his lungs and kidneys."

"I'll…see what I can do. We're going through a…messy divorce and I'm in New York."

"I understand – you were on his emergency contact list. His parents haven't replied."

"Thank you," she mumbled, hanging the phone up and staring at her shaking hands.

A hand on her arm made her jump and drop the phone, the clatter not going unnoticed by the occupants in the other room. "Sydney? What's wrong?" Laura immediately honed in on the distress in her daughter's eyes.

"Rick…he…"

Her mother interrupted, "you weren't supposed to talk to him, Sydney!"

"No, mom – he – was in an accident. He's…gonna die."

A/N: I know it seems an easy way to get rid of Rick and get SV together, but that's not really my intention. Well….not the WHOLE intention anyway.

-Jeanie


	11. Chapter 11: Day 3

**Chapter 11: Day 3**

Jack and Michael stared at the foyer entrance where the two women had snuck off to, worry written on both faces.

"Papa Jack, can I go play outside?" Jake tugged on his grandfather's sleeve as the older man plastered a smile on his face.

"Not quite yet, you both need to finish your breakfast." His words were directed at his grandson but he was still staring off waiting for Sydney or Laura to return to announce the phone call she'd received.

"Sweetheart, what are you going to do?"

"I have to go to L.A."

"What? Why?"

Sydney faced her mother with incredulous eyes as a frown crinkled her forehead. "Mom…what choice do I have? He's gonna die."

"Let him die."

Laura crossed her arms over her chest and turned her back to her daughter before beginning her ascent up the stairs.

"Wait a minute – what's wrong with you? This isn't like you." Taking off after her, Jack and Michael shared a concerned look.

Jack clapped his hands catching the attention of everyone at the table. "Boys, why don't we go outside and feed the horses? Run and grab your shoes, alright?"

Jake looked down at his footie pajamas before meeting his grandfather's eyes with his big blue ones, "papa, we can't go out in our jammies".

Jack grinned, helping Noah out of the booster seat as the two year old bolted off to the entryway to grab his shoes, deftly sliding them onto the wrong feet. Jack stood and followed, Jake's hand engulfed in his.

"Michael, stay here and see what that phone call was about. But," he paused, poking his head back into the kitchen, "give it a minute. You don't want to get in the middle of two Bristow women fighting."

Finding himself alone at the kitchen table, he heard the shuffling of the doctor with the two boys, the clicking of the door, and then silence – save for the muffled and elevated voices above him.

'_Umm…dishes. I can do the dishes.'_ Standing and gathering the plates up he made a few trips to the sink before pushing up his sleeves and getting started. _'I should start getting paid for this; I've done it three times this week alone.'_

"Sydney, why do you feel like you owe him something?"

"I don't feel like I _owe_ him anything. I'm going to have to sign paperwork because I'm still his wife."

Laura tossed her arms up as she entered the boy's bedroom. When she was angry or upset, she cleaned – a trait that her daughter possessed as well. Taking the quilts and tossing them on the floor, Sydney watched with her arms crossed over her chest while leaning against the doorframe.

"That's what I'm telling myself at least. I keep going over what dad said…to cherish the good memories. Once upon a time he _was_ a good husband; a good father – and despite what he's done in the recent past I can't ignore that he deserves to have someone there at his bedside when he dies."

"He's a monster, Sydney. He…he tried to kill you."

Huffing as she pushed off the frame she joined the fray in stripping Noah's bed of the sheets and pillowcases, the pile between the two women growing.

"You don't need to tell me what he did, mom, I was there. You don't think he deserves someone to be there when he dies?"

"Why would I think that when I _know_ what he did to you? What does _that_ _man_ deserve from you other than having you there to pull the plug?"

"Jesus! I…I can't believe that you of all people, the most caring woman I know, is standing there saying things like that."

Laura stopped what she was doing and looked up at the light fixture above her head. Trying to push back her emotions and see it from her daughter's point of view was proving difficult. "He…he doesn't deserve your love, Sydney."

"He doesn't deserve it but it still doesn't make me feel any different."

Whipping about mother confronted daughter, "what do you want me to say? That I'm okay with you going and seeing him? Well I'm not going to say that! He is getting **exactly** what he deserves, Sydney Anne, and you **know** it."

Sydney tossed the pillows across the room in frustration as her brown eyes filled with tears. "I know it's stupid, okay? Tell me again how stupid I am for loving him!"

"Honey…I – I didn't mean it like that, I just,"

"No, mom – you _did_ mean it like that. You don't understand and you never will. Yes – I know that he's a bad person now but…he wasn't always a bad person! _That's_ what I'm choosing to hold on to, mom. _That_ is the only reason I'll go say goodbye – I'll say goodbye to who he _used_ to be. It's the only thing that's going to keep me sane! I keep asking myself how I could love someone that didn't love me back…but…but he did! He loved me! And _that_ person deserves to have me there."

They stood silently regarding one another, Sydney's tears spilling out over her cheeks as Laura dropped her head. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. I'm the last person that needed to make you cry. I'm sorry, honey."

Walking the four or five steps or so she pulled her daughter into her arms as they stood together and cried. Moments later they pulled apart, mother cupping her child's cheeks, "I just want you to think, honey. Think hard about this – do you want to drag your kids out to L.A. to see the man they're so afraid of just because _he_ screwed up?"

Gripping her mother's wrists she pulled her face free, moving away only slightly to sit on the edge of the bed. "No – I'll go by myself, I couldn't do that to them - they don't need to know anything about this."

"You most certainly will not go by yourself – you don't need to be alone going through something like that."

"When will you stop treating me like a little girl?"

"When you stop _needing_ me to!"

Sydney sighed, her fingers wringing together in her lap as tears dripped from her cheeks into her jeans below. "I'll never stop needing you, mom, but right now I need you to let me make this decision."

Laura shook her head, "you made the decision to stay with him when I told you to leave him, Sydney; you don't make good decisions when it comes to Rick."

"Hey, that's not fair!"

"It wasn't fair to _anyone_, especially to yourself! Sydney…I love you, you know that. But I just think that this is a bad decision."

Shaking her head her hair bouncing around in the pony tail the young woman stood back up, wiping angrily at her cheeks. "What…what if Michael or Bill goes with me? Will that make you feel better? If I take along my body guard will you be okay with me leaving your sight?"

'_Michael and my daughter alone for who knows how many days in L.A. is something I'm almost more uncomfortable with than her going by herself.'_

Michael knocked on the door, a sheepish look on his face. "Hey, I don't mean to barge in or anything, but whatever you need I'll help. I don't know what this fight is about, if it's private that, that's fine, I don't need to know. Whatever you need, all you have to do is ask. I…I don't know jack about kids and to be honestly they scare the crap out of me – but I'll babysit if you need me to."

The two emotional women couldn't hold in a laugh as they wiped simultaneously at their wet cheeks.

'_He gave you his word that nothing would happen with Sydney,'_ Laura thought for a moment before sighing and nodding. "Sydney will fill you in. I'm gonna go check on Jack and the boys." Stepping from the room Michael let her past with a confused look before his green eyes landed on the young woman's face across the room.

He let her stand quietly for a moment to gather her thoughts, his shoulder against the frame much in the same position as she had been in moments before.

"Syd, whenever you're ready you can fill me in, no rush, okay?"

"Umm, I…I think – hang on," she muttered, hand coming up to her lips as she darted into the adjoining bathroom before collapsing onto the floor in front of the toilet.

Flinching as she retched he sighed and followed. Grabbing a washcloth off the counter and wetting it he filled a nearby glass with water before crouching down beside her, his hand moving to rub circles over her back as she emptied her stomach before propping her forehead against the edge of the seat.

"Is pregnancy always this much fun?"

"Whee," she replied before tipping back to lean against the wall with her eyes closed, the smile leaving her pale face.

"Here you go," he grunted as he stood, holding out the washcloth and the glass of water before leaning against the sink and crossing his arms again.

"Thanks," Sydney mumbled as she wiped at her face and taking a large gulp of the water. Content to sit on the cool floor she took several deep breaths. "Rick's gonna die, Michael."

"What?" _'Good,'_ Michael thought, though he didn't voice his opinion – which he assumed was the cause of the fight between mother and daughter earlier.

"He got into a car accident and he's in the hospital. That," she paused with a sigh, "that was the phone call I got this morning. They're giving him a day…maybe two." Her eyes were still closed which allowed the youngest Vaughn to focus on her features, something he hadn't allowed himself to do.

"How do _you_ feel about the whole thing?"

She laughed, a wry calloused sound, before opening her eyes and meeting his green orbs, "conflicted probably doesn't do it justice but it's good enough for right now. I think that I need to go, you know? But…maybe mom's right – maybe it's a bad idea."

Nodding he broke their gaze, his moving to stare at the bath towel hanging on the rack, the blue water and yellow rubber duckies almost a distraction against the pure white of the cloth they were on. "Syd, I get it, okay? No one just falls out of love immediately especially with someone you decided to spend your whole life with."

She cocked her eyebrow while squinting her eyes, "but," she mumbled, pressing him to finish his thought.

"But nothing, I'm being honest here." Sliding down against the wall he flopped down onto the floor across from her. Crossing his legs at the ankle he folded his hands over his stomach. "No one here has a single clue about what's going on in your head or what's going on with your emotions. No one but you, Syd. It'd be stupid of me to voice my opinion because it's not _my_ opinions you need. Or Laura's…or Jack's."

The conversation paused again, Sydney going back to resting her head against the wall with her eyes closed as Michael once again was offered the opportunity to stare at her.

"You decide what you can handle. No one else can make that decision but you."

"But that's failed so many times, Michael." She growled in frustration as she picked her head up and more tears filled and spilled. "I've made so many bad decisions recently that I don't deserve to make them anymore."

"But we can't make them for you, Syd. You don't want someone else telling you how to live your life,"

"Maybe I do," she interrupted. "Maybe that's what's best for me."

Michael sighed and shook his head before meeting her sad brown eyes with fiery green ones. "It's just you, Sydney. This is the one place that you're alone in this whole mess and you have to be. _You_ have to be the one to figure this out."

She picked up her knees to her chest and pushed her face into the soft fabric releasing a series of sobs, Michael's heart ached for her but he stayed put, letting her cry a bit before she calmed down again.

"I know it's not what you wanted to hear, Syd. And I know that I could make you feel better instantly by telling you what to do – but…as much as I want you to feel better I don't want to lie to you about where you're at with this whole mess." He maneuvered himself until he was sitting next to her, reaching up and taking her hand in his as her splotchy face turned to him. "Just make the call and I'll go with whatever you decide."

"It's…it's not you I'm worried about – it's my parents."

"Please, I'm a lawyer. You think I can't sweet talk them into anything? I play almost as many mind games as your dad."

She couldn't help but laugh, her fingers twining through his as she squeezed his hand. "I…I want to go to L.A."

"Then let's pack."

"Really?" Despite the words he'd just spoken she couldn't contain the surprise in her voice.

"Really. C'mon," he ordered, hefting himself up and reaching both hands out to her.

Accepting them she allowed him to pull her off the floor, instantly wrapping his arms around his shoulders and pulling him into a hug. "Thank you, Michael. You're a good man." He wasn't sure what to do – at any moment Laura could walk in and catch him with her daughter, but his arms moved as if he didn't have a say in the matter. Wrapping around her he held her against his body for a moment, hands splayed over her back and rubbing small circles with his fingers.

Pulling back a bit he brought one hand up to cup her cheek, thumb catching one of her tears and brushing it away. Michael was lost for a moment, her sad brown eyes had changed to a hopeful mocha and he couldn't help but let a smile creep up on his lips. "Let's go to L.A. I'll get the paperwork done quick and easy and we'll be back here before you know it."

She nodded and flashed him her dimples before pulling out of his hug and pressing a kiss to his unshaven cheek. Footsteps thundered up the stairs, Jack's voice calling for the boys not to run. Sydney made her way back over to the laundry as Michael hovered in the doorway of the bathroom, a smile breaking his lips as Jake and Noah came scampering in, diving into the pile of blankets and sheets in the middle of the floor.

Laura and Jack stood at the door to the room, Laura speaking up first. "What'd you decide?"

"I'm gonna go to L.A., take care of the things there. Michael said he'd come with me to make sure the paperwork was done and we'll be back in a few days. This…this is something I have to do, mom."

Laura nodded and turned away, Jack winking over at his daughter with a small smile before following after his upset wife.

'_This is going to be a long day,'_ father and daughter thought simultaneously.

A/N: well…the day isn't over, but I thought I'd end it there. *Stretches arms and legs* It's good to be back!


	12. Chapter 12: Day 3 Part 2

Chapter 12: Day 3 Continued

Sydney chewed her thumbnail nervously as the pilot announced their descent into Los Angeles. Her stomach was a tumultuous mess though with the seatbelt light on she knew she wouldn't be able to rush off to throw up like she'd already done half a dozen times since the light was first turned off.

'_I'm not sure if it's morning sickness or nerves. Seeing as it's three o'clock in the afternoon, it's probably not morning sickness.'_

Michael couldn't help but watch as she fretted, knowing that the next couple of days was going to be the hardest on her. Yet he couldn't keep his happiness at bay. Yes, she still loved the man her husband used to be – he understood that perfectly. However; the man he _used _to be was dead and the man he _became_ was dying, and for that Michael was happy for her and the boys.

The plane landed with a jostle on the tarmac, the pilot pulling up to the gate as they two passengers gathered their things and exited into the warm sun of Los Angeles. The rental car was waiting for them out front, Michael groaning as he saw it was a Prius.

"Really? The place where Hummers roam free and we get a Prius."

A smile formed on her mouth as they tossed the luggage in the back and jumped in, the drive to the hospital putting Sydney's nerves even more on edge.

"You okay? I didn't want to bug you on the plane, but now would be the time to ask any questions if you have any." Silence was his answer as she sat with her head propped up on her hand, eyes watching the buildings whiz by. "You hungry?"

"If I talk I think I'll throw up, let's just get there, okay?"

Her request was soft but audible and Michael got quiet once again, patting her knee with his hand as the rest of the drive went by painfully slow due to the lack of conversation.

The hospital was bustling, Michael dropping her off at the entrance with instructions to get directions and wait for him in the lobby. Sydney agreed as she walked quietly into the foyer and up to the front desk.

"Hello, I'm looking for Richard Montgomery's room, please."

The large woman sighed and set her tabloid down, opening a cabinet and flipping through the paperwork with long and extravagantly painted fake nails. She stopped and looked up at the brunette before her. "You family?"

"I'm…I'm his wife."

"Floor six, room 6147. Take those elevators up to four, and then switch to the elevators across the hall to get to six."

"Thanks," Sydney muttered, the receptionist going back to her juicy magazine as Michael walked in at a brisk pace.

"Hey, you find him?"

She nodded, her face pale as they jumped into the elevator, her stomach turning a loop as it started to rise. Leaning back against the steel wall she closed her eyes, opening them to look at the man next to her as he reached out and took her hand, wrapping his fingers around hers.

His reassuring smile grounded her as they transferred to the other set of elevators and ended up on the sixth floor.

A loud thump reverberated through the living room, Jack and Laura sharing confused glances as they peeked over at Noah sleeping soundly on the couch. "Must be Jake, I'll go check on him." Jack folded his paper up and climbed out of the comfortable chair, leaning down to pull the blanket back over his two-year old grandson before going off in search of Noah's older brother.

He heard rustling and more thumps the closer he got to the boy's room. Peeking through the semi-open door his eyes widened at the sight of the small five-year old jumping on his suitcase in an attempt to close it so the zipper would work. Packed to the brim with toys and a pillow Jack knocked on the door as he leaned against the frame.

"Jaky, what are you doing?"

The little boy froze when he heard the knock, but when he spotted his grandfather he climbed down off of his suitcase and ran crying into his legs. "I can't get it closed, papa!"

"Why do you need to big guy?"

"Cuz I have to go save mommy!"

Jack hefted the child up and carried him to the edge of the bed, perching Jake on his lap as he sat on the soft comforter. "What do you mean?"

"Daddy is a tricker. He tells big big fibs. He's going to hurt my mommy." Jake covered his eyes with his hands as he cried, Jack pulling him close and rocking him back and forth.

"Oh, Jacob, nothing is going to happen to your mommy. She didn't go back home to talk to your daddy." The grandfather paused, remembering his promise to Sydney to keep Rick's whole situation away from the boys until she got back from L.A. to explain it to them, especially Jake. _'This is one promise I'll have to break.'_

"Jake, look at me." It took a moment but Jack managed to pull the little boy's hands away from his face and get his big blue eyes to meet his. "Your daddy…he got into an accident. He's…he's going to go to heaven." _'Or rather not, but Jake doesn't need to know the ins and outs of the folly of choosing bad deeds over good ones.'_

"What?"

"He…he's going to go away for forever."

'_Good lord, I'm a psychologist and I can't find the words to explain death to a five-year old.'_

Jake stopped crying, though a few hiccups slipped out, and Jack could feel his little body loosen up from it previously tensed position. "Forever?"

"Forever. Plus, Michael went with your mommy, son, you don't have to worry about her, okay?"

Jake nodded but stayed quiet and Jack could almost see the gears turning in the little boy's head as he tried to mentally digest what his grandfather had told him. The two of them sat quietly, Jack hugging the boy to his chest as the child held onto his grandfather's arm around his middle.

Chancing a glance Jack noticed that the boy had fallen asleep, his wet cheeks slowly drying. Standing carefully he turned and placed him in his bed, pulling the blanket over his small tired body and pressing a kiss to his forehead before exiting the room.

"Syd, we've been standing out here for fifteen minutes. You're going to have to go in there eventually."

The doctor had already met with them saying that Rick's situation was grim and that he'd be lucky to survive the night. Sydney had signed, with Michael over her shoulder, the appropriate papers needed and the two were left standing in front of the open door with the faint beeping echoing out into the hallway.

"I'm scared, Michael."

"Of what?"

"I don't know…but…I," she paused as tears fell down the courses already plotted, "I feel like a terrible person."

The youngest Vaughn was quite confused, shaking his head and leading her back into the small waiting room around the corner. "Why do you feel like a terrible person?"

"Because I…I don't feel bad for him." She sobbed, Michael pulling her against his chest as her head dropped onto his shoulder, though she continued to vent her frustrations with a muffled voice. "I should feel bad because I used to love him, but now he's going to die and I…I don't feel bad."

Michael rubbed her back and let her cry, "Syd, you don't have to go in there. We signed the papers, made the hospital aware that you two were divorcing and that you were no longer his emergency contact. We can go to your house and grab whatever you want and get on the first flight back to New York."

"No…I…I want to say goodbye." He barely understood her but pushed her back with a nod. "Will…will you go with me?"

Wiping at her cheeks she sniffled, feeling like a small child asking to sit on her father's lap because she was scared. Michael just smiled and took her free hand letting her lead the way.

The room was dark, the blinds drawn and not allowing any sunlight onto the deathly pale and bruised figure on the bed. Bandages adorned every viewable piece of skin, both legs elevated in casts with his right arm over his chest in another soft cast. _'No need in making them full hard casts if he's just gonna die, is there,'_ Michael thought.

Sydney's grip on his hand tightened as she moved closer to the bed. The pumping sound of the machine keeping his lungs inflating was distracting and she couldn't help but glance at all the machinery he was hooked up to with a wince. Not intending it to be an internal dialogue she just stared at his bruised, cut, and broken face with crying brown eyes.

'_Look what you got yourself into, Rick. You were a good man once, and I…I came to say goodbye to who you used to be. I didn't want to agree with my mom when she said you were getting what you deserved, but I remember waking up in this same hospital bruised and beaten and…I can't help but see it from her point of view a bit.'_

She paused and let go of Michael's hand, pulling a chair up and sitting next to the bed quietly. Vaughn took that cue and slowly and quietly exited the room, pulling the door closed behind him.

"I…I didn't deserve the things you did to me, Rick. Neither did the boys. You…they – they deserved to have a father that loved them but…but they got you instead." She paused and tore her eyes away from his face to focus on her lap.

"I…I forgive you for what you did to me. And no…I don't know why. But…I can't forgive you for what you did to our kids. Jake…you hit Jake with a belt, Rick. I…I can't forgive you for that."

She sat quietly for a few more minutes, brushing once again at her cheeks while wiping her nose with a Kleenex she'd been crumpling in her hand. "I'm pregnant. With…with a baby you'll never get a chance to meet. I'm – I'm okay with that honestly, I wouldn't want him or her to know you."

Sighing she stood, her hands folding and tearing at the Kleenex, "goodbye, Rick."

Slowly she turned a sense of calm washing over her. Opening the door she saw Michael jump up from his seat with concern shining from his green eyes. Sending him a reassuring smile she sighed and let him pull her into a hug.

"I…I actually feel pretty good right now. Is that bad?"

"Hell no, that's great?" He scolded her gently while leading her back to the elevators. "Wanna stop by your house?"

"Yeah – I promised Noah I'd grab his Muck-Muck; a silly dog that my dad got him for Christmas when he was a baby. Plus I'm going to need all the maternity clothes I stashed away."

Michael nodded as the rode the elevators down and made their way over to the car, wrinkles popping out on his brow as he churned an idea. They climbed into the car with the keys in his hand though he sat quietly staring out the front window. Sydney let him think, though she was curious about what was going through his mind. _'Did I break him?'_

"What," he started, stopping again while lifting up the key to the ignition, sliding it in but not cranking it over. "What if we rented a big ass SUV, packed everything up, got my dad started on the seller's paperwork and just drove back to New York?"

"Are…are you serious? We can't take a road trip."

"Why not? You're going to have to get all your stuff out of the house, no one's going back there. That and we'll be here until he…passes, so might as well pack stuff up, right?"

"But…what about the kids?"

Michael shot her a wry smile, "please, your parents will undoubtedly just spoil the crap out of them with shopping sprees and candy."

She couldn't help but chuckle but returned her focus to his serious green eyes. "You…you think we could get away with it?"

"Hell yeah."

Sydney faced forward once more before nodding slowly. "I…I will need to get everything out, huh?"

"Yeah…" he goaded.

"And the kids will want their toys,"

"Uh huh,"

"And I'll need to get the picture albums,"

"Right,"

"What the hell? If the parents are okay with it let's take the time to drive back."

Michael whooped making her laugh before he cranked the car over and they drove out to the highway as Sydney called her parents. As predicted, relieved when her father answered the phone, everything was agreed to and they set off to the hotel to find their rooms for the next couple of days.

A/N: Didn't mean to end it there…it just sort of happened. I also hadn't intended for Day 3 to be a three parter. Lol

-Jeanie


End file.
